Truths of Life
by Morgana Deryn
Summary: Sayuri was born blind. Not good for a member of the Kaguya. Her solace comes from the boy in the cage. Her clansmen called her Nigate, weak, and she believed them. With the clan gone, Sayuri strikes out on her own and makes her way to Konoha. What new truths will she discover about her life as she joins Kiyomi Arita and Miyako Hasekura on Team 9? Multi-pairing DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

**Truth: I am useless.**

Her first memory was the boy in the dark. She remembered being taken by the hand by one of the men in her clan. He thrust a tray into her arms and pointed her towards a cave opening. Of course, she didn't know what it was. She only remembered staggering as the tray was placed on her skinny arms, her shoulders being wrenched around so that she was pointed in the desired direction, and her back receiving a sharp thump.

"Walk," barked the voice of the man who gave her the tray. "Give him the food, bring back the dishes."

"Who is he?" she'd asked innocently. The Kaguya had no elderly. They killed themselves or were killed by others if they could no longer fight. Even at the age of five she understood this: the fight was everything for a Kaguya.

The problem was, she wasn't entirely sure she was a Kaguya. They just called her Nigate. She didn't know if it was her name or just a title, no one ever told her. She was not much like a traditional Kaguya. She didn't want to fight, and she had never handled a weapon. Granted, she was young, but she'd not so much as picked up a kitchen knife. She was in no way suited for combat, for these and one other main reason.

She raised her hand and placed it on the wall of the cave, trailing her sensitive fingertips along it. Her feet moved slowly on the unfamiliar ground, watching for any divots or lumps in the uneven floor. It wouldn't do to fall down and spill the food. That would mean a beating. That was always the way when she knocked something over or spilled something, despite the fact that she tried her hardest not to. She couldn't always help it.

She was blind. A fighter could not be blind.

Her sharp ears picked up the sound of shifting ahead of her and she pressed her hand more firmly to the wall, orienting herself. She followed along the wall, feeling heat increase and fade as she came close to and passed the torches on the wall. They did nothing for her.

Finally her hand hit wood. She trailed her hand along it and found more wooden beams connecting. With a quick skim of her fingers and the sound of shifting just beyond, she deduced this was some sort of barred door, meant to keep whoever she was feeding inside.

"Who are you?" asked a hoarse voice. She flinched slightly. She hadn't expected him to speak to her. She was never spoken to unless it was to be ordered around or reminded of how useless she was.

"I am called Nigate," she replied. "I am to feed you."

Slowly, she knelt to the ground, her hand sliding on the bars to guide herself down. She found a wide gap at the bottom of the door that she presumed was just for this purpose. She slid the tray inside and heard the clink of chopsticks on a bowl, followed by the sound of chewing. She sat there on the stone, uncomplaining, and waited. She was to bring the dishes back, after all.

"Stop looking at me like that!" snapped the boy in the cell. He sounded young to her, maybe her age. He was defensive and angry.

"I am not looking at you," she said quietly.

"You're staring right at me!" he snapped. "I don't like it, so stop!"

"It does not matter. I did not realize I was doing it. I am blind."

"Blind," he repeated slowly, obviously unfamiliar with the word. "What's that?"

"I cannot see," she explained.

"You can't see?" he echoed, sounding confused. "What happened to you?"

"I was born like this. That is why I am useless," she replied matter-of-factly. The statement meant nothing to her. It was simply a truth of her life, one that had been reinforced in her for so long it was second nature. She felt no hurt when she heard it. She assumed there were other people in the world who were useless, just like there were people who were useful. She was just one of the unfortunate ones.

"You brought me my food though," the boy pointed out.

"I have to do what I am ordered," she explained. "Why else would I exist? You are locked away, so I suppose you are dangerous. That is why I am feeding you. If you kill me, it would not matter."

"I'm not going to kill you!" the boy shouted. He sounded angry. She dipped her head submissively as he raged and waited for the storm to pass. "I'm not dangerous! I'm just… different."

"Why are you locked away?" she asked, tilting her head. She heard him shuffle, and then something was dropped onto the ground in front of her knees. She reached out for it and picked it up, running her fingers across it thoughtfully. The shape was unfamiliar, part of the edges sharp. This was some form of blade, she thought, the first she'd ever held.

She continued her perusal of the object thoughtfully. The material felt strange and new under her fingertips. She shook it by her ear and heard nothing. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it, before licking it hesitantly. The taste was odd as well. She bit on it and tried to bend it, but it was solid.

"What is this?" she asked, slightly frustrated by her failure to identify it.

"It's one of my bones."

"But… bones are inside of you," she scowled in confusion. "And if it is so sharp, does it not hurt you?"

"It's not like that when it's inside me," he explained. "It happens when I force it out, if I want."

"You force the bones from your body?" she said in surprise. "You make them sharp?" She'd never heard of such a thing.

"Yes," the boy said bitterly. "Why do you think they locked me up? They're afraid of me. It's not fair!" he said petulantly. There was a crash and the sound of breaking crockery. Her cheek twitched. She would be punished for that, no doubt.

"Have you finished your meal?" she asked, her voice somewhat colder now.

"Take it, I don't want it," the boy snapped. There was a scuffing sound and the edge of the tray slid into her knee. Spilled water and soup sloshed over the slight lip and soaked her too-big pants. Nothing she wore fit well, but she tended to her clothing meticulously, trying to make the most of it that she could. Her fingers were very familiar with the prick of a misaimed needle, but they were sensitive enough that she could stitch relatively well.

She took the tray and rose, placing a hand on the wall to guide herself back into the light. The same man who had sent her in was waiting for her outside of the door. She knelt down and placed the tray in front of him.

"What happened?" he demanded. She assumed he was referring to the damage the tray had taken.

"He became angry," she explained.

"What did you say to him? Oh, never mind," he snapped. "You're going to be doing this for a while, so you'd better get used to it and start doing a better job!" A foot came up and slammed into her face. She went flying and her back hit the ground hard, breath blowing out of her. She lay there and painted, eyes roving sightlessly across the sky above her as she fought to catch her breath and block the pain.

_The sky… I hear it's blue… I wonder what blue is?_

* * *

The next day she was shoved into the tunnel again with a tray of food in her hands. This time she also got a parting comment.

"Chip so much as a single dish and it'll come out of your hide."

Her hand trailed along the wall and her feet were a bit surer. She moved along the tunnel a bit faster now that she was had been here before. The more familiar a place was, the more quickly she could move. She could move around the camp that housed the Kaguya clan as if she could see, unless someone purposefully put something in her path, which happened with irritating frequency.

"I have returned with more food," she said as she knelt beside the barred door. She pushed the tray inside.

"What's wrong with your face?" The boy demanded, ignoring the food and scooting closer. She frowned slightly.

"I was to bring the dishes back. They were broken," she replied calmly. A soft hand pressed against her cheek. She knew he was reaching through the bars to touch her. His hands roved the skin gently and she could feel his eyes on her face. He seemed fascinated by the bruise on her cheek from the man's hit. His fascination interested her.

"Have you never seen a bruise before?" she asked curiously.

"How would I have?" he said bitterly. "I'm locked in here."

"Surely you weren't always," she said reasonably.

"For as long as I can remember," he disagreed, trailing his hand across her face. His fingertips traced her features.

"Who are you?" she asked, her interest now coming upon her full force. She did not know why he was locked away, besides his ability to manipulate his skeleton into a weapon. Perhaps he had hurt someone that way?

"My name is Kimimaro," he said.

"Kimimaro." She repeated the unfamiliar name, rolling it in her mouth and savoring the taste of it. She was not usually allowed to call people by name. She had to call them sir. "What do you look like?"

That seemed to throw him. "What do you mean?" he responded after a moment of hesitation.

"I cannot see you. I do not know what you look like," she shrugged. "May I?" she asked, raising her hands and slipping them through the bars towards his face. She felt his breath on her fingertips and again he hesitated, before leaning forwards. Her fingers were now touching his forehead. She traced along the outline of his face, then his profile, skimming her fingers gently over the soft skin of his eyelids. She ran her fingers through his hair as well as she was able, trying to get a feel for how long it was.

"What color is your hair? Your eyes, your skin, your clothes?" she rattled off.

Kimimaro suddenly found himself involved in a very odd exercise wherein he described himself. He'd never given a thought to his appearance before. He'd never seen how it mattered. Now he was noticing minutia he hadn't before as he described himself to a T. She kept asking for details and he kept answering even as he observed her.

She was a painfully thin little thing, younger than he by about two or three years. Her hair was gray and hung limply around her square face. Her nose turned up slightly and her cheeks already showed signs of prominence despite the chubbiness of face every child possessed. Her mouth was neat and small. She looked like she might one day be tall, but the fact that her clothes were big on her made her look so much more delicate and fragile. She was swimming in a worn pair of pants and a shirt, the fabric of the sleeves pulled back from her hands expertly. Most interesting were her eyes. They just looked ahead sightlessly, the blue-green color glinting in the little light in his tiny hole. The same red dots as he had adorned her face.

"Kimimaro," she repeated, finally withdrawing her hands from his face. "You have a nice face."

Kimimaro cocked his head. He wasn't quite sure how to take that. "What do you mean?"

"The others have hard features." She held her hands in front of her, cupping them in an example. "They have bulky, square angles. You are softer, pointed, yes, and deadly, but in a more refined way. I am confident you look very nice," she said decisively.

Kimimaro flushed, suddenly feeling flustered. He had never in his life received a compliment, and his first was not at all how he'd expected it would be. Or had he been wrong all along? Was that how you complimented someone? Did a compliment made everyone feel out of sorts and befuzzled?

"You look nice too," he returned somewhat hesitantly. Was it right to respond with another compliment?

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Do I?" She touched her own face. "Hm, I never thought about it. Thank you, Kimimaro, that makes me oddly happy to hear." Her smile was somewhat proud.

All too soon Kimimaro finished his meal.

* * *

He found himself waiting in the dark, longing for the times when Nigate came to him with food. He had to actively remember to eat. She spoke with him as no one else ever had and he forgot she was there for a purpose. She would touch him as they talked, learning his appearance by stroking his hands, arms, and face. He returned the gesture, assuming it was customary.

Her arrival changed his life in a way. His dank little hole suddenly seemed brighter, the flickering of the torches on the wall just around the corner took on a meaning of hope instead of taunting him with the world beyond his bars.

He had no way of knowing that he was as significant to her.

Her life changed both the day she found Kimimaro and the day she found the knife, the two being connected. Found was a rather strong word, as she cut herself with it while cleaning up the cutlery from the men's meal about a week after she began tending to Kimimaro. She had stopped working to simply feel the blade, testing it with her thumb, stroking the smooth side of the blade, gripping the handle of it in different ways.

It reminded her of the bone knife Kimimaro had handed her. It had the same biting edge, the same thicker grip, the same smooth sides. He had told her he was locked away for making these with his bones and it made her wonder if perhaps she could as well. Was it only Kimimaro? If she was a Kaguya, then they were somehow related, and maybe the ability stayed within the family.

It was that tantalizing thought, the idea that she could be powerful despite her infirmity, that made her reach inside herself and try to force the bone from her arm. Something shifted inside of her and she touched her arm, eyes widening in triumph! She had done it! There, protruding from the soft flesh of her arm, was a hard nub of bone.

She felt strangely vindicated, knowing that she truth she had accepted all her life –that she was worthless – was _not_ the truth. There was a difference between acceptance and like. She hadn't liked it, but she'd accepted it. But she was not worthless, she had a power so great the others in her clan feared it!

And it was her clan. No one had ever actually told her. For all she knew she could have been found in the woods as a baby and taken in by the Kaguyas – although they were more likely to murder a found baby than raise it. Part of her sang at knowing that Kimimaro was her family, that they were even closer than she'd originally thought.

Almost immediately after the initial burst of happiness, her face fell. Kimimaro had been locked away for his abilities. The Kaguya feared the gift she shared with Kimimaro. She could never tell them or she would be thrown into the cell with Kimimaro. She couldn't bear the thought of losing the smell of the cook fires, the sounds of the camp, or the feel of the breeze on her face and grass on her ankles. She knew she couldn't even tell Kimimaro, or he would hate her forever because he was locked away and she was not.

It was then that she discovered something very disheartening. It was lovely to have a secret when it was something you could share should the need arise. When you were alone, with no one to discuss it, it weighed on you and twitched in the back of your mind, never letting you quite forget it. She ached to tell Kimimaro that he wasn't alone, but she also trembled at the idea of losing him. He was the only one who showed her any kindness.

This also spawned the realization that she was a very selfish person. She knew Kimimaro had a right to know but she would not, could not, tell him. She would carry the secret to her grave if it meant he stayed by her side and didn't hate her.

This was how she grew up. For three years she bore her secret in silence, and some days it did not bother her. She spoke to Kimimaro and sat with him as he ate, telling him about life outside of his cell. She tried to the best of her ability to describe the sensations of that life that she loved, but it was only ever a hollow imitation.

She blew across his cheek to try and illustrate the breeze. She tickled his ankles with torn-up grass, but it wasn't the same. The only thing she did that he ever seemed truly fascinated by was the carved flowers she brought him with their real counterparts in hand.

She had discovered, after tucking the knife away in her clothes, that she possessed a skill for carving that one wouldn't expect. Sure, her hands were covered in nicks and cuts from when the knife slipped in her clumsy, unwieldy grip, but her sensitive fingertips conveyed to her things that sight alone could not and she was able to reproduce images with startling detail.

Her favorite things to carve were flowers. She would stroke the petals, turn them over, smell them, and learn them as well as she was able before picking up the knife and whatever block of wood she had managed to scrounge and setting to work. She moved the knife skillfully, shaving away bits of wood sliver by sliver as carefully as possible, trying to make it perfect.

She brought Kimimaro these carvings with their real-life counterparts to ask how well they were rendered. He would always tell her absently they were indeed perfect, too entranced by the scent of the flower he had buried his nose into the moment she handed it to him. She left her carved flowers with him and Kimimaro adored them. The flowers withered and died, but the carvings stayed perfect forever. He lined the wall of his little cell with them, and soon he had a veritable bower with which to amuse himself until she came back with a new one in her hand.

* * *

She remembered vividly the day her family vanished. They left on raids often. Killing and conquering was the lifeblood of the Kaguyas, the thing they looked forwards to like nothing else. But never had they taken on an entire village, and never had they felt the need to take Kimimaro.

When she realized he'd been let out of his cell, she'd tried to run to him. She'd wanted more than anything to share his first few moments as a free man with him, to feel his reactions to all the things she'd described play out under her fingertips.

"Kimimaro!" she'd cried upon seeing him, only to be backhanded by a nearby Kaguya man.

"Shut up and get out of here. We're not taking you," he sneered at her. She had clutched her cheek. She could feel Kimimaro a short distance away in the same way she could feel everyone, sensing some sort of energy that every living thing possessed. Kimimaro was the easiest to identify, as she knew it well. She'd turned her eyes in his direction and given him an encouraging smile before running off to her duties.

They always came back, often with a few less people than they'd left with. The Kaguya didn't escape battle unscathed despite their lust for it, and she knew the concept of death well, even if it was something she'd never personally experienced beyond the dead animals she cooked for them.

This time, though, they didn't come back. She'd stayed for days, drifting through the camp, wraithlike. She'd make huge meals, expecting every moment for the men to return to the camp in high spirits, the heat of battle still hanging around them. Time after time though, there was nothing, and she was forced to throw away huge amounts of food.

It was a week before she finally allowed herself to face reality. They were dead, all dead, even Kimimaro, which tore her heart to ribbons. They'd faced a shinobi village and come out on the losing end. The only people she'd ever known were gone. The man who first told her to take food to Kimimaro, the one that always stuck out his foot and tripped her when she went by, even the clan leader. They meant little to her beside her job, her duty to serve them.

She truly grieved for Kimimaro though. She'd tucked herself away in his cell and cried against the face he'd carved into the stone. He was her only friend, the only person she could claim to love. At least, she thought it was love, as she'd never felt the emotion before. She would walk across hot coals before seeing him hurt, and yet she was gone.

With reality came the realization that she couldn't stay here forever, wandering the camp aimlessly. She now had a chance for a life, a life beyond serving the Kaguya. One that was hers to live how she saw fit. The concept was both terrifying, exhilarating, and sorrowful. She wasn't sure she could handle being on her own, as she'd never had to be, but the prospect thrilled her. She just wished she could have shared this experience with Kimimaro.

Her nerves were strong though, and she didn't leave the camp immediately. She spent days preparing, packing a single bag. She found old clothes of the men, and for the first time, was able to alter them to fit her, which she spent an entire day doing, making two shirts and a pair of pants that actually fit her and didn't have to be held in place with lengths of rope.

In the end, her bag was fairly heavy. She tucked her spare shirt into the bottom, wearing the other clothes. Her knife and a whetstone to keep it sharp were tucked inside. Bundles of food and a canteen were essential, as well as the length of rope she wrapped around the outside. She found a flint and steel for starting fires and added it to her supplies. She searched everywhere and gathered as much money as she could find.

Last, wrapped tenderly in lengths of the finest material she could find, were all the carved flowers she had ever made for Kimimaro, the only things she had left of them. She couldn't bear to leave them in the hole Kimimaro had so hated. It seemed disrespectful, when he had treasured them so much, to allow them to sit and rot in the dark as he had for so long.

She left the camp, pack on her shoulders, without a backward glance. It wasn't home to her, and she felt no sorrow to leave it, only a vague nostalgia. Home implied an emotional connection, and she felt one to the cleared section of the forest. It was simply a place she had once lived.

* * *

**Yeah, I know, let's break out the tissues for poor Nigate. *snorts* The truth is, she's not going to be doing this whole pitiful me thing for long. With the Kaguya's gone she's gonna be a lot less submissive. I'd like to get about five reviews before I post the next chapter. I've got it ready, but I want any critique I can get on what I messed up and I'll take any suggestions of things you'd like to see happen. There will be a couple of side plots from the main overarching Naruto storyline purely for Nigate. No, she's not going to be essentially stalking Naruto's team. Yes, they will interact some, but not a lot. Yes, Kimimaro will be back, but not for a while. This is mostly about Nigate, although there will be a lot about her teammates later on when she reaches Konoha.**


	2. Worthiness

**Truth: Everything had worth in this world.**

She felt the presence of the man when she was out hunting for berries. There should be raspberries by the stream, and while it was always rough on her to try and find the berries in amongst the thorns, she had a craving and had decided it was worth it.

She was distracted from her thoughts when she felt the presence of another person. She'd ducked behind a tree, staying quiet and listening. There was no movement from that direction, not even the sound of breathing. The presence was a bit faint, almost as if he were asleep.

Slowly, she inched out from around the tree and ventured in that direction.

"Sir?" she asked softly. "Sir?"

No response. Not even a twitch of acknowledgement. She moved forwards, toeing the man with her bare feet. He let out a breath of air. Confused, she knelt beside him and placed her hand on his chest. Almost immediately, she felt warm wet liquid. Her heart sank as she brought her hands to her face. She licked one finger, the metallic tang of blood entering her mouth. He was injured, and badly. Her hands were covered in blood just from this brief brush.

For a moment, she contemplated just leaving and letting him die. It served no purpose for her help him and heal him. She actually could, conceivably, make him feel better. Gathering herbs for such purposes had been one of her many duties, especially right before a raid was planned, and she'd helped patch the men up. Those that weren't too manly to shun medical aid, that was.

Just as quickly, she threw the thought aside. Kimimaro's face drifted in her mind. If someone had found him in this state, she wished beyond anything else they would take him in and heal him. She didn't care if she never saw him after that, so long as she knew he was alive. She didn't even have that luxury.

Mind made up, she grabbed the man under the shoulders and started tugging, pulling him back towards the small cave, really more of a niche in the rock, where she'd made her home in the woods. It was not luxurious, but it was hers, and she was proud of it. She was capable of cooking, sewing, and gathering, so she did not go hungry or want for suitable clothes. The money she'd taken had been enough to buy a few pots and pans, as well as some bedding and thicker clothes for the colder months. There was plenty of wood nearby for fires, and the stream was within easy walking distance.

She set the man down by the fire and fetched her needle and thread, as well as several poultices and tinctures she'd prepared ahead of time. If she ever got injured, she found comfort in knowing that she was prepared to treat herself should she be beyond making usable medicines.

* * *

Satoru Minamoto was not an optimistic man. That said, he wasn't a pessimist either. He was a realist, and he knew that, _realistically_, there wasn't a big chance of him waking up after he collapsed in the woods and being in any state to make a break back to Konoha. He'd thought the escort mission would be easy, which was why he took it on alone. That, and he needed the cash. But he hadn't expected an entire squad of Could-nin to swoop out of nowhere. It was a miracle he made it out of there with his skin mostly connected to his meat.

Satoru blinked his eyes open and found himself lying by a fire. His shirt was gone, and he could see the tattered shreds smoldering on the fire. Might as well use it for heat, as it was nowhere near wearable anymore. He was covered in a blanket, and he shoved it aside, looking down at his torso. His many wounds were covered in clean, white bandages, but he could feel the pull of stitches. He knew by feel that they were well done from extensive experience with having gashes.

That meant someone had found him and tended to him. Either he was about to thank some kindly old hermit, or he was going to have to fight for his life. He was just thinking maybe he might be able to simply sneak away, as there didn't seem to be anyone in the cave, when he saw a small figure shift.

He gaped. It wasn't an enemy, and it certainly wasn't an old hermit. It was a little girl. She stared at him blankly. She was a skinny little thing, slightly dirty, but her clothes were well cared for, if not a bit threadbare. Her face was chubby, but he could see the baby fat was starting to recede, showing prominent cheekbones. Her eyes were a dark blue-green, grey hair parted in a zig-zag. Odd red dots were just above her eyebrows, red smudges under her eyes. He might have thought it was makeup, if not for the fact that the dots were perfectly circular, and also, what homeless kid had makeup? Red dots, that rang a bell… some clan…

"You're awake," the girl said, distracting him. She spoke quietly and cautiously, almost as if she were afraid of him. He couldn't blame her. He was a adult shinobi and she didn't know him. He could easily kill her. "Who are you?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Satoru asked, although his tone was light. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her jaw hardening.

"You are an adult, male shinobi. How do I know I can trust you?" she shot back with the exact reason he'd just considered.

Inside, she was terrified. This man could kill her, and she knew it. She had her kekkei genkai, sure, but did that mean she knew how to use it? No. She could make a blade, did that mean she could wield one? She could barely use her own power to defend herself, and he had trained for years to fight.

"I'm Satoru Minamoto," he said for the sake of peace. She remained silent. "It's polite to give me your name in response," he goaded gently.

She blinked, looking surprised. "Is it?" she asked, suddenly looking confused. "I'm sorry, I didn't know." It was his turn to blink. Was this girl raised by wolves? "I don't really have a name. The men of my clan called me Nigate though."

Satoru's eyes widened. They didn't give her a name, and then they called her _weak?_ What kind of men did she grow up with? Was if just because she was female, or… He'd noticed that her eyes didn't react when he moved, didn't shift at all.

"Are you... blind?" he ventured. She nodded.

"I am," she said matter-of-factly.

Satoru's heart went out to the little girl. What kind of life had she had, called weak so often she accepted it as a name? He wasn't soft, by any means, but the girl couldn't be more than ten. She was at the age to start at the Academy. She was so young to already be so messed up.

"Do you know what Nigate means?" he asked softly. She shook her head somewhat hesitantly.

"… Does it mean something bad?"

"It means… weak."

"_I am not weak!_" she snapped immediately.

Rage filled her. All this time, they had called her weak, and she hadn't known? She was not weak! She was blind, not helpless! She may not be worth much, but she had her own strengths and weaknesses just like anyone else. Her weaknesses were just a little more obvious. There was a time she had accepted herself as worthless, but with the discovery of her kekkei genkai and her friendship with Kimimaro, she no longer believed that.

It had become one of the truths of her life. Everyone had worth in this world.

Satoru held up his hands when she burst out, before realizing how fruitless the gesture was. He brought them back to the ground with a sigh.

"I didn't say you were. Whoever you grew up with did. What clan are you from, anyway?" Those marks were really bothering him. He knew he'd heard something about them…

"I am a Kaguya," she said somewhat proudly.

Satoru's eyes widened as he remembered. The Kaguya's were some battle-crazy clan near Mist that had all been slaughtered by the shinobi of that village when they tried to invade. He'd heard some other jonin talking about it a few months ago and had brushed it off, thinking them stupid for even bothering to go against an enemy as powerful as Mist with just a handful of men. Someone had made an offhanded comment about how Kaguyas supposedly had red circles on their foreheads. Apparently there was still one left.

She wasn't what he'd expected from a Kaguya. She was thin, but if she'd dragged him here all by herself, then she was definitely strong. She didn't seem violent though. She hadn't left him to die or simply killed him herself. She brought him back here and tended him. Her blindness would have made her useless to the Kaguyas. She'd probably been a sort of servant to them if anything, otherwise they wouldn't have kept her around at all from what he knew of them.

For a moment, he entertained the thought of bringing the girl back with him to Konoha. When winter hit, this cave wouldn't be livable, no matter how big the fire was, and she'd die. The girl had a couple months to live at most if she stayed here. In Konoha, she could grow up in security. He could sense her chakra, and it wasn't that impressive, but for someone her age, she showed potential. Maybe she could be a shinobi.

And there was that rumor that the Kaguya had a very rare, very powerful kekkei genkai. The chances were slim to none, but…

"Hey kid," he said slowly. "Do you have any kind of ability? I heard the Kaguyas had a pretty impressive kekkei genkai."

She gave him a suspicious look. "If I do, are you going to attack me?"

"No," Satoru replied slowly. "I was thinking about taking you back to my village with me and finding you a better home."

She couldn't believe it. This stranger… yes, he owed her for healing him, but to give her a life with food she didn't have to prepare herself, the possibility of friends or even loving parents… It was unreal, something she'd never thought she'd be able to have. She'd heard of those things, but they had no place in the world where she'd grown up. The idea that she might be able to have them… it blew her mind.

And a _shinobi _village. If she could become a shinobi, she would never again be called weak. If she could triumph over her disability, no one would ever be able to look down on her again. She would be the fighter the Kaguya always told her she could not be. She could make the Mist shinobi pay for killing Kimimaro. She could carry on and live for him, experience all the things he never got to. And when she died, she'd find him in the afterlife and tell him all about it, just like she always had.

She had no hesitation as she held out her arm, a bone pushing from her palm. It had hurt at first, and the small amount of blood that leaked out had alarmed her, but with the small amount of practice she was capable of, the pain had lessened and the blood no longer bothered her.

Satoru's eyes widened and he felt vaguely ill. Blood and guts he could handle, but bones… he'd seen too many of them glinting among the wreckage of a person to be completely okay with this display. Still, he sucked it up. If a little kid could handle it, so could he.

And it was an impressive ability. Already Satoru was thinking about all the many advantages the ability to manipulate one's skeletal structure could come in handy in a fight. She could heal a broken bone in no time flat, apparently she could make blades. She could probably make shields as well, maybe even inside her body under the skin. At the end of the day though, it was still just bone.

"How hard is that?" Satoru asked. In response she turned around and struck the wall. The bone slid in like a knife through butter, her palm pressing flat against the wall. She tugged the bone free, leaving a perfect little hole there only visible when the firelight flickered onto it. His eyes widened. The wall of the cave was solid rock, and she'd cut into it like it was nothing.

"Can I see that?" Satoru requested, mildly envious now. He had no kekkei genkai. He'd gotten to be a chunin through pure hard work and determination.

She wordlessly grabbed the bone and tugged, pulling it fully from her palm. The hole in her hand closed up behind it, the blood sucking back into her skin. He knew the medics at the hospital would be envious of that little ability of hers.

He sat up and took the sword from her, shoving the thought that she'd just handed him one of her bones into the back of his mind, and started testing it. He bit it, prodded the point, tried to bend and break it. It gave slightly, but didn't break. He tossed it in the fire, but it didn't crack.

"That's impressive," he said approvingly. "So, do we have a deal? When I'm better, you'll come with me back to Konoha?"

"You would really do that?" she asked, sounding distrustful, but hopeful. He didn't blame her. She probably didn't have much experience with kindness.

"I would. No kid should grow up in a cave. People might say you were raised by wolves," he teased.

She frowned. "I was raised by Kaguyas."

He sighed. This girl would need a lot of work before she was even fit for normal social interaction. "It was a joke…"

"...But it wasn't funny."

"...It was a _bad_ joke."

"I see. Do you tell bad jokes often?"

"… _I_ don't think so."

She went silent and nudged the bone out of the fire, stared at it intently, and it cracked apart. She kicked the bits aside into a corner carelessly. Apparently the bone held up as long as she wanted it to.

"You should rest for at least a day," she advised. "You body needs to heal some before you can move."

"You're the doctor," Satoru said, lying back onto the stone floor. She flushed with pleasure and he grinned slightly. She seemed like a good kid. "You're gonna need a name though, if you're going to be a Konoha shinobi."

"Konoha? Is that your village?" she asked curiously. She moved forwards and sat next to him by the fire, eyes focused intently on his face. Satoru wondered absently how she could tell where it was.

"The Village Hidden in the Leaves," he said proudly. "The largest shinobi village."

"And I will need a name," she repeated. "I… do not like the name Nigate."

"Nobody would," Satoru said wryly.

"I know no other women's names though," she admitted. Satoru blinked.

"Were there no women in your clan?" Satoru asked, startled. Females were a bit important for continuing the clan line…

"Women are weak," she recited, although this time there was an annoyed twist to her mouth as she did. "The men found a woman to sleep with, and if she gave birth the child was brought to the clan. Many died of neglect or illness. The Kaguya do not know how to take care of children. This way ensured only the strongest survived. However, I lived despite my infirmity, so while I could not fight, I was allowed to serve."

"I know a lot of names," Satoru said thoughtfully. "There's a jonin I know named Teruko."

"And what does that mean?" she asked. He looked up at her in surprise. She seemed to sense his look and shrugged in response. "I do not want to unknowingly bear a bad name again."

"I wouldn't give you a bad name," Satoru protested, mildly offended.

"Still, I want to know," she said insisted.

"Uh," he had to wrack his brains. He thought he'd heard her mention it once. "I think it means… shining child?"

She pondered for a moment, and shook her head. "I don't think I like that name."

"Okay, what about… Rin? That one means dignified."

"Am I dignified?" she pondered. "I don't really think so. That would not be a good name for me."

"Why does the meaning matter to you so much?" Satoru mused. It was odd. Sometimes people took pride in the meaning of their names if it was something grand, sometimes they were simply named for their order they were born, other times the meaning was ironic or contrasted with their personality. Overall though, most people didn't care much.

"Your name is who you are," she said strongly. "It is what others know you as. Isn't it deceitful to be known for something you're not? I don't think it matters so much as an object versus a trait. Clearly someone would know you are not a… a stool or something, but they won't know you aren't dignified until they know you for a while."

That made a kind of twisted sense, even though most people were forgiven any discrepancies between their name and personality seeing as they were named as a baby. She didn't have that luxury, so it was understandable that she wanted a name that fit her well.

"Hitomi means pupil," Satoru ventured, unsure if he'd just crossed a line. "That might be a bit to on the nose though…"

She thought that one over for a minute. "I don't think that would be a good choice. Do you… know any flower names?"

"Huh?" Satoru blinked. She wanted something that fit her, and she jumped straight to flowers? "You mean like Ran? That means orchid."

"Like that, but not that one," she said, shaking her head. "He didn't really like orchids."

"Who?" Satoru pressed, eager to find out more about the girl. She smiled sadly.

"My only friend. He loved flowers. He died when my clan attacked the Mist village. I am doing this, going with you, for him. He always wanted to live a free life, but he was never able to, so I will live it for him."

Satoru blinked. This ten-year-old kid was one of the most disturbingly mature children he'd ever met. He supposed being surrounded by people like the Kaguyas she'd probably had to grow up fast. She'd probably experienced death and disdain since she was born and was used to how harsh the world could be. That would make it easier for her to accept some of the missions other struggled with. Maybe he really had made a good choice in taking her with him.

"There's Sakura," he began again. "That means cherry- oh, wait, I think there's already a girl about your age with that name at the Academy."

"I don't want to take her name from her," she said hastily. "It's hers."

"Ume means plum blossom."

She shook her head. "I have never seen those."

"Aoi is hollyhock."

"I don't know what that is either."

"How about Chika? That just means scattered flowers."

"But he liked them in a line," she said thoughtfully. "Not scattered."

Satoru didn't quite know how to respond to that. "Okay, uh… Kiku means chrysanthemum."

"I don't much like that either. It sounds rough."

"I'm running out of flower names here," Satoru complained.

"But you're not out yet," she noticed. He sighed.

"Alright, alright. Umm… Sayuri means lily?" he suggested.

"Lily," she mused. "He liked lilies… I will be Sayuri," she said decidedly. Her face went somewhat hesitant. "Do you know what Kimimaro means?"

"Kimimaro?" he repeated. "Is that your friend?"

She nodded. "I'm hoping he doesn't have a bad name."

"Oh, um… I think Kimi means noble, and I'm not sure after that."

"Noble," she mused, and smiled. "Yes, that is a nice name to have."

The newly-christened Sayuri made dinner for more than just herself for the first time in months that night. Knowing she was going to leave soon, she had no problem pulling out all of the stops. There was a thick, hearty stew, roots, and berries. She even made tea with one of the few packets she'd bought on her trip through the village, saving for a special occasion.

"You're a pretty good cook!" Satoru grinned around a bite of stew. He popped a few berries into his mouth. Thus far he'd been avoiding the roots.

"It was one of my primary duties," Sayuri explained.

"Huh. And what were your other duties?"

"I was to mend and wash clothes, prepare the clan's meals, keep the camp relatively clean, gather food and herbs, and feed Kimimaro," she recited.

"I see. Three meals a day for... how many years?"

"I don't know," Sayuri admitted. "I'm not sure how old I am. I think I am about ten."

"Ten… probably around there. Anyway, that's a lot of practice."

"Eat," Sayuri encouraged, dipping more stew into his bowl. "You will need your strength for tomorrow."

"That's something I've been thinking about," Satoru began somewhat hesitantly. "Is your… disability going to slow us down?" He was wary of offending her in some way. "See, most ninja run in the trees. Are you able?"

"I... _think_ so," Sayuri admitted, shaking her head. "I can hear very well. I will hear where your feet land and I will follow."

"It's not just about knowing where to go," Satoru disagreed. "It's about balance and strength. It takes a lot to keep the pace for a long time."

Sayuri cocked her head. "I am stronger than most girls," she said slowly. "But I am not a shinobi. I will not be able to do what you can do, even after I am trained, I don't think, purely by virtue of my gender. But I will try my best. I will consider this an exercise to build my muscles and learn to pace myself."

Satoru stared at her. This ten-year-old kid just kept blowing my mind. There were plenty of little kids he'd seen who wanted to grow up and be the best without having to build up their muscles. They just thought they could suddenly do these things after one lesson. She understood what most children had to be taught – that it wasn't easy to be a shinobi, and you had to do everything you could to become stronger.

"Are you annoyed that I might slow you down?" she asked suddenly. He blinked.

"What?"

"You stopped chewing," she noted. Satoru realized he had.

"No, just thinking."

"I see," Sayuri nodded. She spooned stew into her mouth slowly and deliberately, chewed, and swallowed. "Do you think I would be a good shinobi?" she asked softly. She touched her eyelids. "I know I will always have to struggle, and I know that I will be at a disadvantage to everyone else. But could I still be of some use?"

"Oh yes," Satoru said confidently. "That kekkei genkai of yours will help keep you alive, I think, and it's a pretty good compliment to your blindness, is a way."

"How so?" Sayuri frowned.

"Well, you can manipulate all your bones, right?"

"Yes, though I haven't been able to practice much."

"Well, you could force bones out to keep enemies back if you can't see them. We'll have to hone your reflexes in case you miss something at first," Satoru said, mind rolling back to the days when he had trained Academy students. He hadn't taught in a couple years. He remembered developing training for each of them based on their strengths and weaknesses. "And if you could spread that bone all the way under your skin, like a membrane… It would be like armor, protecting your internal organs. You'd still have to watch for blood loss, but… I think you could be a very good kunoichi."

"Kunoichi?" Sayuri said blankly.

"Female ninja," he explained, setting his empty bowl aside. Sayuri lowered her eyes.

"Oh, I see. I suppose there is more than I thought that I have to learn. A whole new language." She paused and looked up. "I will be the laughingstock of this Academy you told me about, won't I?"

Satoru contemplated for a moment. "You don't have to start immediately. We could take a few days and work on the basics so you don't go in blind… so to speak."

"You're not going to offend me by mentioning that I'm blind, unless you're purposefully being cruel," Sayuri pointed out. "I'm well aware that I'm blind."

Satoru gave a self-deprecating smile. "It's just going to take some getting used to for me. I don't hang out with kids much."

"I imagine not. Sleep," Sayuri encouraged. "You are not fully healed, and the rest will do you good for our traveling tomorrow. I still have to pack."

"What do you have to pack?" Satoru asked blankly. "Konoha will supply you with a furnished apartment seeing as you're a minor shinobi-in-training."

"I still need clothes, the spare money I have left, and the flowers."

"What flowers?" Satoru said blankly, casting around. There were no bright spots of color that would indicate flowers anywhere around the cave.

Sayuri stood and moved deftly around the fire, guiding herself with the feel of the heat towards the bed of blankets. She reached into the small gap between them and the wall and began drawing out the flowers one by one and setting them out in a line for Satoru to see.

"Who made these?" he asked in surprise, picking up a highly-detailed dandelion. He turned it over in his hand, admiring the texture added to the flower itself. "That Kimimaro friend of yours?"

"I did. I made them for him," Sayuri admitted. Satoru looked at her in surprise, and then his glance slid to her hands. They were scarred, cuts and nicks decorating the fingers and palms, just like the hands of any other woodworker he'd ever seen. He supposed she was used to living purely off what she felt and heard, so translating what she touched into the wood with a large amount of accuracy was probably very easy for her.

"They're very good," Satoru praised. "You could make a fortune off these in the market."

"I'm not selling them!" Sayuri snapped. Even the idea of selling the flowers Kimimaro so treasured turned her stomach.

Satoru held up his hands defensively. "I didn't say you had to. But if you ever needed cash, you could definitely sell carvings. You're pretty good."

"Thank you," Sayuri said, dipping her head politely. "Rest," she insisted. "I will pack and you can return home in the morning."

* * *

**Go Sayuri, way to have a decent name! An a bit of backbone! Told you she wasn't going to be Miss Doormat for long.**


	3. Weakness

**Truth: She would not be weak ever again.**

Satoru woke to a completely different cave the next morning, and a tired little girl. The sheets and bedding had been packed away, along with the pots and pan, flowers, sewing kit, and spare clothes, into a backpack thrown over Sayuri's shoulders. Her fire was gone, the ash swept out of the cave. The only sign anyone had ever inhabited it was the pile of firewood stacked along one wall.

"I see you weren't kidding about leaving in the morning," Satoru chuckled. "Were you even planning to have breakfast?"

"I am eager," Sayuri admitted. "There is a place by the river, where we can find berries for breakfast. Is that alright?"

"That works," Satoru said, throwing the covers off of him. Sayuri took them and folded them, placing them in the bulging backpack. She reached inside and drew out a large shirt, far too large for her, and not in the traditional style she seemed to favor. She handed it to him somewhat shyly.

"I had to tear your shirt to get at the wounds," she explained. "I hope this will suffice until you can get to your own clothing.

"Thanks," Satoru said gratefully, taking it from her. He was careful, wincing a bit as he tugged it on, but his stitches only pulled instead of tearing. He looked down, noticing it was a dark material that used to be one of her blankets. It also fit perfectly.

"You guessed my size," he noticed.

"No," Sayuri said, shaking her head. "I learn how people look by touch and description." She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. "I got a hypothetical look at you while dressing your wounds and worked from there."

Satoru was torn between feeling disturbed, mildly violated, and impressed. He just said, "ah," and plucked at the shirt.

"I can guide us to the river," Sayuri said, jerking her head towards the mouth of the cave.

"Lead on," Satoru said. He was starting to feel his energy coming back now that he was moving and on his way home. Granted, he was coming back with a report of failure, but maybe a new kunoichi would soften the blow.

He watched as Sayuri guided them to the water. She walked with an odd gait, and at first he couldn't figure it out, but then he realized. Instead of setting the heel of her foot down with each step, she put her toes down first and then settled her foot firmly, testing the ground. Not only did it keep her from stepping into holes, it also made her footsteps quieter. He supposed it would be to her advantage to stay as quiet as possible, so she could hear other noises and learn what was going on around her.

It wasn't hard for Sayuri to get them to the river. It's rushing could be heard from the cave. She guided Satoru to the blackberry bushes and the two of them began plucking berries. Satoru happily munched on the fruit. It had been a while since he'd had produce this fresh. He glanced to the side and winced when he saw Sayuri's hands. They were scratched and bleeding. She was heedless of the thorns, not even trying to avoid them.

"Here," Satoru said, pulling a spare pair of gloves out and offering them to her. She reached in his general direction and he placed the gloves on her hand. She twisted her wrist so they were in her palm, running her fingers over it cautiously. "Gloves," he supplied.

"No," Sayuri said, shaking her head. "They cover my fingers. I don't like it."

"You're cutting your hands to ribbons," he protested. "Just for now."

"No," she insisted forcefully. "Cuts are nothing. I've cut myself so many times they don't bother me. I don't even feel them anymore."

He blinked at that, and put his gloves away.

They ate a few more berries, drank a few mouthfuls from the river and filled their canteens, and then they took to the trees. Satoru jumped up and crouched onto a branch easily but Sayuri had to scale it, walking out along the branch to stand by him.

"Focus your chakra on your soles, it'll help get your balance," Satoru encouraged absently.

"Chakra?" Sayuri said blankly. Satoru winced. She wasn't kidding when she said she was behind. She really would be the laughingstock of the Academy if she arrived without even knowing what chakra was. Satoru thought carefully. They were very close to the border of the Land of Fire. They'd probably be home free within the hour. It's take two days to get all the way back to Konoha.

"How would you feel about a lecture?" Satoru asked. "Feel up to it? Can you learn on the go?"

"Yes," Sayuri said, nodding determinedly.

"Then follow me, and listen up."

Satoru talked as they went, digging deep into his memory for all of the theory he'd learned back in his days in the Academy. He talked as they moved. It was a snail's pace for him. Sayuri frequently landed wrong or misstepped or wasn't able to jump far enough to the next branch. He'd stop and wait, still talking, while she pulled herself back up into the tree and they started moving again, only to repeat the process.

It was good for both of them. Satoru reviewed things he hadn't had to consciously think about in years, refreshing his memory, and Sayuri learned, as well as getting a workout. She was panting heavily within two hours but she still kept going without complaint, impressing Satoru with her determination. She was definitely not a complainer. She seemed to understand that this was necessary.

Satoru had it a bit more difficult as they light began to fade, but Sayuri didn't even notice and just kept going in her fall-climb-run-slip-repeat pattern. It was completely dark when they stopped at an inn, and Satoru paid for their room. They stayed together, because Satoru didn't completely trust her ability to maneuver on her own.

They didn't immediately bed down for the evening though. Satoru looked Sayuri over as they stood behind the inn. She was slumped, panting, and shaking with exhaustion. She was covered in bruises, scrapes, and dirt from her many falls. It was a miracle she hadn't twisted or broken something. Still, she was slowing them down a lot more than he'd expected. He understood her problem, of course, and he was sympathetic, but he also wanted to get home, and she needed to learn.

The problem was, they didn't have time for The Hokage would insist that if she was going to be a kunoichi of Konoha she needed to start in the Academy as soon as possible to make up for lost time. He'd probably be able to bargain maybe a week to catch her up. There was no time to start her off with floaties, he just had to throw her into the deep end.

"Here's what we're going to do," Satoru said. "You're going to climb a tree."

Sayuri frowned. "I've been doing that all day," she said sharply. Tiredness was making her snappy.

"Yeah, but this time you're going to use chakra," Satoru said, deciding not to comment on her tone. Normally you wouldn't try this exercise until you were a genin, but it suited their purposes for speeding travel and it would help improve her chakra control. "You remember what I told you about how to release chakra?"

"Yes."

"Try it."

Sayuri did, and was surprised at how easily it came to her. Satoru was as well.

"I've always been able to feel the presence of different people, to know when they move," Sayuri admitted softly. "Is it… am I sensing their chakra?"

"That's what it sounds like, but at a far greater range than people twice your age," Satoru said, biting his thumb thoughtfully. _A sensor-type, interesting_. "I suppose it's something your body's done automatically to make up for your blindness. The Kaguya don't usually use ninjutsu or genjutsu, only taijutsu, but my guess is you felt some chakra released and your body automatically started recognizing it. This is a huge advantage. You'll be able to tell where people are and how they move. Coupled with your hearing, you shouldn't need your eyes for much. I'd imagine releasing chakra is so easy for you know because you've unknowingly been observing it for years."

"So how do I apply this to tree climbing?" Sayuri asked.

"You can use the chakra to seal your feet to the tree, directing it to the bottoms of your feet," Satoru instructed. "But it's tricky. Too much and the bark will crack and you'll be thrown back. Too little, and you'll just fall off. Watch me," he instructed. Sayuri snorted quietly and he corrected himself. "Listen, then."

He put one foot on the tree, then another, walking slowly up the side.

"I see," Sayuri said from the ground. Satoru kicked off the tree and twisted, landing on the ground in a crouch.

"Figuratively, of course," he said with a small chuckle. She smiled slightly.

"So the trick is to find the balance," Sayuri mused. "Find and maintain it."

"Yes," Satoru nodded. "Most people start out running at the tree to get more momentum, but I think that might not be the best plan. You might miss the tree entirely and wouldn't know when to start up it."

"Fair point," Sayuri said, walking over to the tree. She placed her hands on it, rubbing them up and down and pressing on the bark. She channeled chakra into her hands first, getting a feel for how it worked. When her hands began to crack the bark, she eased up, when they began to slide, she added more. She was still no expert on manipulating chakra, and she frequently went too far in one direction or the other.

"You're not going up on your hands," Satoru pointed out. Sayuri nodded absently and stepped back, putting one foot against the trunk. She concentrated, sealing her foot to the trunk, and then added another.

She hadn't expected it to be this difficult. Forget it taking a lot of concentration to keep her chakra going at a steady rate in one foot while adjusting the second, she also had to use muscles in her core that she simply didn't have to keep herself from flopping backwards towards the ground like a ragdoll. Sayuri grunted with the effort to keep her body straight. She made it one more step before her muscles gave out and she fell back, the distraction breaking her concentration. She toppled to the ground and landed on her rear.

"I didn't think about that," Satoru mused worriedly. "You haven't built up the muscle most shinobi have."

"Then I will," Sayuri said shortly, and she placed her feet on the tree again. Satoru blinked at the vehemence in her voice but said nothing as the attacked her task with determination. She settled back against a tree, listening to her efforts more than watching in the dim moonlight. Eventually his wounds caught up with him and he fell asleep.

* * *

Satoru blinked his eyes open the next morning and the first thing that registered was the smell of food. He glanced to the side wearily and saw bacon and eggs waiting for him on a plate, enough for several people. Then he heard the sound of grunting and labored breaths and looked up, eyes widening.

Sayuri looked like hell. There were deep circles under her eyes, and the rest of her face was red from exertion. Her hair was a wreck, filthy and sticking out in all directions. Her clothes were more dirty than clean. Every bare patch of skin showed bruises or cuts from her many, many falls. She was dripping sweat, but she was halfway up the tree before she fell with a growl of irritation, landing on her back on the ground. She lay there for a moment, panting.

"You're awake," she noted.

"You've been working all night," Satoru said blankly.

"Have I?" Sayuri said absently. "It felt like a while. It got warmer at one point. I assume that was the sun coming up."

He'd assumed she would eventually go back inside and sleep. She hadn't eaten or rested in twenty-four hours, and by the lack of her canteen, she likely hadn't had anything to drink in a while.

"Stop," Satoru said sternly.

"No," Sayuri protested. "I'm getting better, I am!"

"I can see that," Satoru soothed. "But you're going to kill yourself if you keep going at this rate!"

"I will not walk into the Academy weak!" Sayuri snapped. She would not be weak ever again; it was another new truth to her life.

She panted, glaring at Satoru, whose jaw tightened. Inferiority complexes notwithstanding, Sayuri had a lifetime of being dumped on to overcome, and that wasn't going to be fixed with a few days. She was fighting to be stronger, to prove she wasn't weak. He'd known shinobi who struggled their whole lives to prove the exact same thing, and they ended up dead.

She may have some advantageous adaptations already built up to counter her blindness that would pay off when her training began and on missions, but she also had a lot of baggage. Whoever that Kimimaro guy was, there seemed to be a lot of emotion tied up there, as well as with the name 'Nigate' and what it meant. Did he have the _right_ to tell her to stop?

Satoru looked her over. Shaking, muscle spasms, labored breathing… He was no med-nin, but any shinobi worthy of the name knew the signs of chakra exhaustion. No matter how much she worked, Sayuri would be entering the Academy weaker than the other students who'd been training for months, if not years. As far as physical energy, rough living had made her stronger than most girls her age and older, but not as strong as real training would. Spiritual energy, the other necessity for chakra, was what she really lacked. It was developed through experience, and she had none. Her chakra levels were very low.

"Eat something, and then we'll move on. We should arrive in Konoha by the end of the day," Satoru said, changing the subject. He may have sounded casual, but there was an underlying steel in his voice that said she better do as he said.

"Alright," Sayuri submitted. She got to her feet and moved towards the inn.

"Where are you going?" Satoru asked in surprise.

"To get food…" Sayuri replied blankly, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the building.

"Here, eat some of this," Satoru invited, pointing at his plate. "You got me way too much anyway."

Sayuri looked at him as if he'd just announced he was going to quit being a shinobi and open a pottery studio. "You're… sharing your food with me?" she asked, looking awed.

"Yeah," Satoru said slowly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Is that so odd?"

"Yes," Sayuri nodded matter-of-factly. "I only ever got what I made for myself. I was never allowed to eat the leftovers unless I snuck them."

"Oh," Satoru said, back on his heels a bit. "Well, it's pretty normal for people to share their food with friends and family and stuff."

"Are we friends then?" Sayuri asked softly.

"I… well, I suppose so," he blinked. He shook his head. It was too early for this kind of deep thinking. "Now come on and eat. We need to get on the road soon."

Sayuri eagerly moved to kneel in front of him, picking food from the plate and shoving it in her mouth. She ate politely, taking small bites and chewing with her mouth closed.

"You've got to have the best table manners of any kid I've ever met," Satoru snorted.

"I hate it when people eat loudly," Sayuri winced, the first true complaint he'd ever heard her make. "It's distracting, not to mention disgusting."

"I can see that," Satoru nodded.

The two polished off their meal and settled up with the innkeeper. He was nice enough not to make them pay for the room, since they hadn't actually used it. That done, they took to the trees once more.

Satoru noted a vast improvement in Sayuri between yesterday and today. Her chakra control was better and she was able to use it to seal her feet to the branches more securely. There were fewer slip and fall incidents, and this time she was able to catch herself more often than not.

"I… feel… people," Sayuri panted as the sun began its descent. "Are we… getting… close?"

"Another twenty minutes," Satoru approximated. "I'll have to take you straight to the Hokage, so there'll be no time to clean up."

"That's fine," Sayuri said.

Soon she couldn't just feel the people, she could hear them.

"Hey, Satoru, took you long enough to get back!" called a voice as Sayuri followed the sound of Satoru's footsteps out of the trees.

"Izumo, Kotetsu, are you guys on gate duty again?" Satoru greeted.

"Yeah," groaned a different voice. "It's so boring. Tell us you saw some action? We can live vicariously through you."

"I got my a-butt kicked," Satoru corrected hastily, glancing at Sayuri, who was shifting uncomfortably. Her head kept twitching around in the direction of random noises, "by some Cloud-nin. Six to one," he winced.

"I see you've got a spare," said the first voice, and Sayuri knew he was talking about her.

"Introduce yourself," Satoru said, pushing Sayuri forwards gently.

"Izumo Kamizuki," said the second voice.

"And I'm Kotetsu Hagane."

They both stuck out their hands to her, but she didn't reach for them. She just nodded her head and mumbled, "Sayuri." They looked at Satoru questioningly.

"She's blind," Satoru explained. They both blinked, surprised.

"Oh, I see," Izumo said.

"I'm sorry, did you do something?" Sayuri asked blankly. "I wasn't paying proper attention, I…" She reached out, hand moving slowly towards Izumo's. He grabbed her hand and shook, then passed her off to Kotetsu.

"She found me bleeding in the woods near the border," Satoru explained. "Patched me up, and agreed to some back here and be a Konoha shinobi when I offered her the chance."

"You're taking her to Lord Hokage?" Izumo asked.

"Yeah," Satoru nodded. "We'd better get going. I hope Lord Hokage will be able to squeeze us in."

"See you," Kotetsu nodded.

"Good luck, Sayuri," Izumo added.

"Might be a good idea to hang onto me so we don't get separated," Satoru advised as they entered the main portion of the city. It was even louder here, and people brushed past her she followed closely in Satoru's footsteps.

"It's so loud," Sayuri said, dizzied by the cacophony of voices and touches. She caught the edge of Satoru's sleeve and trailed closely as he led her into a building.

"Stairs," he warned as they reached a flight. Stairs slowed her down at first, but she quickly got the hang of the height of them, and guided herself with her free hand on the rail. They entered a hallway and through another door.

"Is the Hokage free for a minute?" Satoru asked softly.

"Concerning?" asked a cool, female voice.

"I found this girl on a mission. She wants to become a shinobi of the Leaf," Satoru said, laying a hand on Sayuri's shoulder.

"Just a moment," the woman said. There was the scrape of a chair, soft footsteps, and a door opening and closing. Sayuri guessed they were in an area outside this Hokage's office. A moment later the door opened again and the woman stepped out. "The Hokage will see you now."

"Come on," Satoru said, tugging Sayuri forwards. She stumbled after him into a different room and the woman shut the door behind them.

"Satoru, this is a surprise," said a gruff, old man's voice. Sayuri assumed this was the Hokage and she suddenly felt nervous. Would he like her? Would he let her become a shinobi? Would he turn her down because of her blindness? She didn't realize she was trembling with nerves and fear until Satoru laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Lord Hokage, I was injured on my mission," Satoru explained. "I fell unconscious in a patch of woods. This girl took me to the cave where she was living and patched me up and fed me. Apparently she'd from a shinobi clan that was wiped out. She very much wants to become a Konoha shinobi, sir," Satoru said respectfully.

"I see," the Hokage rumbled. "What is your name, child?"

"S-Sayuri K-Kaguya," she stammered.

"Kaguya?" the Hokage repeated in surprise. "I thought they were all killed when they attacked Mist?"

"I was never allowed to fight," Sayuri explained softly. "I stayed behind to mind the camp. I was to have a celebratory meal ready when they returned. They never returned."

"I suppose it's because you were a girl," the Hokage mused. "So many people underestimate women as fighters."

"No, sir," Sayuri said respectfully. "It's because I'm blind."

"Blind?" the Hokage questioned, looking at Satoru questioningly.

"My lord, she's adapted well," Satoru jumped in. "Her other senses are heightened and she's definitely a sensor-type. It seems she'd learned to recognize the feel of a person's chakra and identify them and their movements by it."

"Interesting," the Hokage said. There was a squeak and Sayuri imagined he'd leaned back in his chair. "And how well do you maneuver, Sayuri."

"I think very well," Sayuri said, her voice getting stronger. This man wasn't so scary. He sounded calm, kind, and wise. She wondered if this is how grandfathers sounded when addressing their grandchildren. "I can guide myself away from walls and uneven ground with my hands and feet, and I can follow people's footsteps no matter how quiet they are. When I'm familiar with a place then I don't even need that."

"Very well indeed," the Hokage agreed thoughtfully. "Sayuri, could you step outside a moment? I'd like to speak to Satoru privately."

"Of course, sir," Sayuri said, instinctively dipping her head submissively. She turned and headed in the direction of the door. Her hand found the knob after only a moment and she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"Does the Hokage want something?" the woman from before asked.

"He just wanted to speak to Satoru alone," she said, leaning against the wall beside the door and closing her eyes. For all intents and purposes it looked like she was resting, but in reality, she was listening.

"Satoru, a blind girl?" the Hokage was asking. "Do you really think she could become a kunoichi? And she's so far behind at the Academy."

"I could give her lessons after classes," Satoru suggested.

"Would you really?" the Hokage asked in surprise. "It would cut into the number of missions you were able to take dramatically."

There was a rustle of fabric and Sayuri imagined Satoru shrugging. "I miss teaching a bit," he admitted sheepishly. "I lectured her on theory the whole way here, and I realized I do miss it. Not the classroom dynamic, but I miss teaching. I'm good at it. I got her halfway up climbing a tree in one day," he finished proudly.

"Did you?" the Hokage asked in surprise. "I see. That's promising, then, if she can learn so quickly. She might stand a chance at catching up. What are her attributes and weaknesses, that you've observed?"

"Sayuri learns fast and doesn't complain. She had a lot of potential for chakra control, and she's already a good sensor. Obviously she'd be immune to dojutsu and other forms of genjutsu might be weak against her. She should be able to sense most kinds of ninjutsu. Her kekkei genkai could be amazing when fully developed. I've got some idea for how it could be used, and she might end up with an almost perfect defense and offense. I think she might be a good candidate for taijutsu."

"Why taijutsu?" the Hokage pressed. "Surely she'd struggle."

"From what she's explained, her type of sensing involves sensing individual sources of chakra and the small pulses of energy used to move. I think that would make her good at taijutsu."

"Interesting," the Hokage mused. "I heard of another girl with similar talents. Not a shinobi, but blind. She learned to read the movements of people around her by sensing chakra."

"It's not unheard of then," Satoru nodded.

"No. And her weaknesses?"

"The obvious, of course," Satoru began. "But she's good at compensating. She would probably never be very good at genjutsu, if she can use it at all. So much of it requires eye contact for concentration. She'll probably be very weak against wind-based ninjutsu. There's also…" He paused.

"What?" the Hokage coaxed.

"Well, the people of her clan… they called her Nigate."

For a moment, the Hokage was silent. "I see," he said grimly. "I can assume she's developed a bit of an obsession with proving them wrong?"

"Chakra exhaustion," Satoru nodded. "I gave her a task and she just… didn't stop."

"That can be a very large weakness. Some shinobi can get far by simply not acknowledging their limits, but others will only burn themselves out. Only time will tell what kind she is." The Hokage's chair creaked. "Even if she weren't accepted into the training program, which I've decided she will be-"

Here Sayuri had to restrain a squeal by clapping her hands over her mouth.

"-I still wouldn't turn her away. She'll need a place to stay. I'm hesitant to leave her on her own, both because of her disability and because of how unfamiliar Konoha will be to her. At least at first-"

"I could take her in," Satoru jumped in immediately.

"You're going very far out of your way for this girl," the Hokage observed slowly.

"I like her," Satoru admitted quietly. "And I think she deserves a chance at being normal."

"By becoming a shinobi?" the Hokage replied drily.

"Well, you know what I mean."

"Fine then," the Hokage nodded. "You know, of course, about the fund set up for orphan shinobi and children we take in. She'll need supplies. You're free to use the fund to pay for her things.

There was the sound of a pen scratching, and then a sharp tap.

"This will allow you to use it. Simply show it to any store worker and they'll know what to do," the Hokage instructed over the sound of rustling paper.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Satoru replied.

"Sayuri? You may come in now."

Sayuri walked inside, completely aware that the large grin on her face was giving her away, but she couldn't seem to make it go away. The expression was unfamiliar, and it sort of hurt her cheeks, but it was a good kind of pain.

"Going by your expression, I'm assuming you heard everything we said," the Hokage chuckled. Sayuri flushed.

"Yes sir."

"Well, I'm pleased to welcome you, Sayuri Kaguya, to the Konohagakura Academy training program," the Hokage said.

Sayuri beamed.


	4. Possibilities

**Truth: It was possible for her to have friends.**

Sayuri's smile wouldn't go away even as she and Satoru returned to his house. He gave her some old, baggy clothes to sleep in and showed her how to take a shower, which awed her. She spent several minutes just standing under the shower head, letting the hot water run over her fingers. Usually the only baths she got involved jumping in a freezing stream and scrubbing with whatever scrap of cloth she could find. When she was really lucky, she managed to sneak a small piece of soap from one of the Kaguyas.

"I have a week to get you as ready as possible for the Academy, and I'm not going to go easy on you," Satoru warned as they ate that night. After being briefly shown around the kitchen, Sayuri had insisted on making him dinner in thanks, and he was completely okay with that. She was a much better cook than he was.

"Please don't," Sayuri begged. "I want to learn as much as I can."

"We'll be starting tomorrow. I'll be going to the hospital in the morning to get my stitches out, so don't freak out if you wake up and I'm not here. I've arranged for a friend of mine, Ayano Soma, to take you to get clothes and the supplies you'll need for school. She'll make sure you're prepared. Give her the piece of paper I left on the table by the door. She'll know what to do with it. I put your clothes in the wash, so you'll be able to wear something clean tomorrow," Satoru said, shifting uncomfortably and feeling incredibly domesticated. _Great Kages, I sound like her father! _"When you get back, we'll start training. I want you back by noon, at the latest. I know it takes girls a while to shop."

Sayuri paused, a bite of rice halfway to her mouth. "Does it? Do I _have_ to take a while? I'd like to finish quickly so I can train."

_Right, I forgot I was talking to one of the world's most socially ignorant kids._

"You don't _have_ to," Satoru explained. "It's just kind of a stereotype."

"A what?" Sayuri said blankly.

"It's like an accepted image of a group."

"I see," Sayuri said, nodding thoughtfully. "A stereotype. That's an odd word," she mused, then jumped back on track. "So I can finish quickly?" she confirmed.

"Yeah," Satoru nodded. "But there's a lot to get, you know. It will probably take a while anyway."

"I see," Sayuri nodded. "Would it be possible for you to make me a list of things I'll need?"

He blinked. "Huh? Wait, you really want a list?"

Sayuri hastily added, "If it's not too much trouble, of course."

"No, it's fine," Satoru quickly agreed. "I'll put it on the table with the other paper. I'm just surprised. Most kids your age aren't very organized."

"I like lists," Sayuri shrugged. "They helped me remember what I had to accomplish that day. That way I made sure I didn't leave anything out when I talked to Kimimaro."

"This Kimimaro guy was pretty important to you, huh?" Satoru noticed.

"Oh yes," Sayuri said softly. "He was my only friend. I loved him. I miss him," she sighed.

"Hey, no long faces!" Satoru said hastily as he saw her begin to tear up slightly. "You're going to be a shinobi, you should be excited, not depressed!"

"You're right," Sayuri said, wiping her eyes. "I should not be sad for Kimimaro. He's supposed to be in a better place now, right?" she asked hopefully. "I've heard that before."

"That's the way to think!" Satoru encouraged. "You go on to bed, you've got a big day tomorrow."

"No, I will clean up," Sayuri disagreed, standing and taking their empty plates to the sink. She found the faucet quickly and turned it on, testing the water with her fingers.

"You dry, I'll wash," Satoru bargained, gently pushing her to the side of the sink and handing her a dishrag.

"Alright," she relented, taking the dishrag. Working together, they quickly finished off the dishes and were able to get to bed fast.

* * *

The next morning Satoru woke at six, as usual, and was shocked to smell breakfast cooking. He rolled out of bed, ruffled his brown hair, and headed for the living room/kitchen/dining room that made up the majority of his apartment.

Sayuri had insisted on taking the couch even after he offered her the bed, and the sheets he'd laid out for her were neatly folded with the pillow sitting on top, resting on the arm. The living room seemed to have been dusted, the kitchen swept, and whole place generally straightened. She was dressed, the clothes she'd worn last night laundered and waiting in a basket by his door to be put away. Two plates of breakfast rested on the dining room table, still steaming. Sayuri was putting away whatever dishes she'd used to make breakfast, having apparently already washed them.

"Good morning," she greeted. Satoru gaped.

"How… what… How long have you been up?"

"Since about five," she shrugged. "That's when I usually get up."

"The sun isn't even up yet!" Satoru exclaimed. "What's wrong with you?"

She paused, a wooden mixing spoon in hand. "Is it wrong to get up that early?" she asked worriedly.

"No, no!" Satoru said, smacking his face into his hand.

"Did you just… hit yourself?"

"A little."

"Why…?"

"Don't take things so literally or you'll end up really confused," he warned. "I didn't mean it was wrong, I just meant that most people don't. I'm not a morning person. I don't get how people get up early and actually accomplish things."

"Why else would you get up early?"

"I don't know, some people like to watch the sunrise or meditate or something," Satoru shrugged, shuffling towards the table.

"I can't watch the sunrise and meditation has always sounded very dull to me," Sayuri said, putting away the last of the dishes.

"I agree. Is there any-?"

"Coffee," Sayuri said, placing a mug of it before him.

"You're amazing," Satoru whimpered in pleasure, taking a long gulp of the life-giving caffeine. He already felt better.

"Thank you," Sayuri smiled, pleased. "So I did well?"

"You did _very _well," Satoru praised. "But you know, you don't have to do all this. It's not really necessary."

"This is how I can pay you back!" Sayuri insisted. "You've been so nice to me. You brought me here, gave me a place to stay, and argued my case to the Hokage. Doing chores is the least I can do to thank you. Besides, it's what I've always done. I don't know what I'd do with my time if I didn't do chores," she admitted.

"We need to find you a hobby," Satoru sighed.

Satoru finished his breakfast and left for the hospital to get his stitches removed and to hand in his report. Sayuri busied herself with cleaning the breakfast plates and putting them away. After that she looked around for something to do. She'd already dusted, swept, straightened, done laundry, cooked, cleaned the dishes…

She was just starting a plan to wash the curtains when there was a knock on the door. Sayuri ran to it eagerly and opened it. There was a woman outside, leaning against the wall.

"Are you Sayuri Kaguya?" the woman asked lazily.

"Yes. Are you Ayano Soma."

"The one and only," the woman said, a small smile in her voice. "Satoru said you need to get… well, pretty much everything."

"Yes," Sayuri admitted. "Oh!" she exclaimed, recalling Satoru's instructions the night before. Her hands groped on the table until she found the pieces of paper and picked them up, handing them to Ayano.

"Satoru said you'd know what to do with it?" she said hesitantly.

"Yeah, yeah. This just means you've got a lot of cash to use. This little shopping spree is on Konoha's funds." Ayano paused and Sayuri assumed she was reading the list. "Wow, he wasn't kidding. You do need a lot of stuff. Well, come on. If he wants you back by noon, we've got three hours. Might even be able to get lunch," Ayano mused absently. "Then again, you probably shouldn't eat much. Satoru's a harsh teacher."

"Good," Sayuri said determinedly. "I don't want to walk into the Academy in a week unprepared."

"No kidding, those kids would eat you alive," Ayano snorted. "Well, come on, I know a place that has a good selection of clothes. What kind of style do you like anyway? Looks like kind of traditional…"

"Before we go," Sayuri began nervously.

"Eh? What?"

"Can I touch your face?" Sayuri blurted. Ayano blinked at her.

"Say what?"

"I want to know what you look like," Sayuri explained.

"Uh, why can't I just tell you?"

"This way I get more detail. Besides, the way people see themselves sometimes isn't how they really look."

Ayano whistled. "Wow kid, that was deep. Yeah, sure, go for it."

"What color are your eyes?" Sayuri asked as she stroked Ayano's cheeks, before moving to her nose. "Your hair?"

"Uh, my eyes are blue, and my hair's sort of a turquoise color."

"Hair can be that color?" Sayuri said in surprise.

"... 'parently so."

"I see," Sayuri mused, passing over her forehead one last time before pulling her hands back. "Thank you. I feel so much better when I know what the person I'm talking to looks like."

"Makes sense," Ayano nodded. "Well, come on, let's go."

Sayuri followed her through the streets of Konoha. Again the sound bothered her, but this time she was better at filtering it and it made it easier to focus. She followed Ayano closely through the streets, keeping track of the distance and every turn from the house, trying to learn how to navigate through the city.

The sound faded as they stepped through a door and she assumed they'd entered a store.

"Weapons first," Ayano said with a wicked grin as she grabbed a basket from the stack by the door. When you were shopping for weapons, it was always best to use a basket. If you needed several, it got tricky to balance without sliced hands.

"You know how to use anything?" she asked.

"I know how to use a knife to carve," Sayuri said. "That's all. And I don't really need knives."

"Eh? Why?"

Sayuri stretched her hands out. The bone pushed through her palm and took on the shape of a wickedly sharp short sword.

"Ah, right, Kaguya," Ayano said, smacking herself in the forehead.

"Did you just hit yourself?"

"Yeah. I forgot about that freaky kekkei genkai. Why?"

"People seem to do that often around me lately," Sayuri said thoughtfully. "I wonder why?" Ayano restrained a chuckle.

_I like this kid. _

"Alright, well, knives or not, you'll need some standard equipment. Kunai, shuriken, an equipment pouch…" she reeled off. "Come on, over here."

Sayuri followed Ayano's footsteps over to a shelf. Ayano handed her a kunai and a shuriken.

"These'll be your bread and butter as a shinobi," she said.

"I understand," Sayuri nodded. She ran a hand carelessly along the edge of the kunai and opened a small cut.

"Hey, hey, watch it!" Ayano cried, yanking the weapons back. "Don't slice yourself!"

"I doesn't matter," Sayuri shrugged carelessly, popping her finger in her mouth and sucking. "It's just a cut," she added around her finger. Ayano's eyes roamed over the many scratches and cuts on the girl's weathered hands. Clearly she was used to hard work. She glanced back at the list in Satoru's handwriting, finally understanding the line that read _and for god's sake, get her some fingerless gloves!_

"Yeah, well, people will think you're kind of dumb if you go around cutting yourself with your own weapons," Ayano countered, dropping two braces of each weapon into the basket. "That's why we have special holders for these sorts of things," she added, grabbing a standard blue kunai holster from a nearby shelf and putting it in too.

"Always good to have some senbon," she said cheerily, tossing a box of them in with some oil, a whet stone, and extra wrapping. "The oil is to keep your metal equipment clean. In case the grips start wearing out, you can rewrap them. Satoru can show you how. The whetstone is to keep them all sharp.

"Next up you'll need an equipment pouch," Ayano said, moving towards another part of the shop. "Got any color preferences?"

"Something subtle?" Sayuri suggested in confusion.

"Nice going," Ayano chuckled, putting a standard tan one into the basket. "I'd have been kind of disappointed if you were like some of those kunoichi who want all their stuff pink and sparkly or monogrammed. Idiots," she snorted. "Just makes it easier to pick you out of crowd.

"You don't need to take this to the Academy with you, but we might as well get it while we're here. You won't need the kunai and shuriken every day either, just on days with practical lessons. Like I said though, best to go ahead and be prepared. Over here now," Ayano instructed.

Sayuri felt a bit like a trained dog as she followed Ayano through the store, listening to her talk. She knew though that Ayano was more experienced here and knew what she needed better than Sayuri herself did. When they began looking for things like clothes and toiletries she'd contribute more.

"Now, those hip pouches contain a lot of stuff," Ayano explained. "It varies from ninja to ninja depending on what kind of mission they're going on, but there's some standard stuff everybody should have on hand, and you'll probably need it for your lessons with Satoru. I bet he'd let you use some of his stuff, but it's better to just have your own. Smoke bombs. Flash bombs. Sealing scrolls. Explosive tags." Between each was a clatter as Ayano tossed some into the basket.

"Now, do you think you might like to wear arm guards or leg guards?" Ayano asked. "We can get those here too."

Sayuri thought for a minute. "No, I think it would get in the way of the bones."

"You mean you can do that everywhere?" Ayano asked, restraining a shudder. There was a _reason_ she wasn't a med-nin like her father wanted her to be.

"Yes," Sayuri nodded. "I've only ever practiced with my hands though."

"Well then you'd better get on that, kid. That's a useful skill to have. How tough are those bones?"

"Harder than steel, if I want them to be," Sayuri said proudly. Ayano raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. Well now, no wonder Satoru was interested." There was a clatter as she tossed a few more things into the basket. "Food and blood pills," she explained. "Like I said, you probably won't need them for a while, but we're here, and who knows how long this free spending pass from the Hokage will last? That's it for here," she said, guiding Sayuri towards the counter.

"Wow Ayano, planning to go to war?" snorted the cashier, looking at the overflowing basket. He started taking things out and ringing them up, shaking his head in amusement.

"This is Sayuri," Ayano said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hello," Sayuri greeted softly.

"She's starting the Academy. I'm getting her the starter kit."

"She looks kind of old," the cashier replied skeptically.

"This should explain it," Ayano said, dramatically pulling out the paper with the approval from the Hokage.

"Oh. From the outside world," the cashier said dramatically. "Well, good luck kid," he said, thrusting the bags towards her. Sayuri took them somewhat clumsily, staggering slightly under the weight.

"Thanks," Ayano called back to the cashier as they left. "I might be back later to look at that tanto in the window. That's a pretty piece of work."

"You do that!" the cashier called back as the door swung shut.

"Now where do we go?" Sayuri asked, already vaguely dizzied by shopping for weapons.

"Clothes," Ayano said brightly.

"Hey, Ayano!"

"Izumo! Kotetsu!" Ayano said, spinning around and grinning at the two men behind her. Sayuri turned to face the two chakra signatures she'd met the day before.

"Hey, it's you!" Kotetsu said in surprise, looking Sayuri over. "You're… uh… the Lily-girl!"

"Sayuri," Izumo sighed, shaking his head. "It's only been a day..."

"I like Lily-girl better!" Kotetsu said defensively.

"Getting old, Kotetsu?" Ayano teased.

"You're the grandma here Ayano," Kotetsu replied casually.

"Ooh, you're lucky there're children present, or I'd pound you for that!" Ayano scowled.

"Come on," Izumo said, shaking his head and dragging his friend away. "We have to get to our post. Nice to see you Ayano, Sayuri!"

"You too!" Ayano called after them. She looked at Sayuri. "You know them?"

"They were at the gate when Satoru brought me in," Sayuri explained as they started walking again. Ayano grabbed her arm and tugged her through a door.

"This oughta be fun," Ayano said as she stepped into the store. "You need everything from the ground up, right?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll start with underwear and work our way out!"

Ayano amused herself for several minutes by passing Sayuri the laciest, raciest thongs she could possibly find before simply tossing a couple packs into the cart.

"Too young for a bra, but don't worry, you'll get there," Ayano said, patting her shoulder patronizingly. Sayuri frowned slightly. Ayano looked at her own chest in exasperation. "Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to tape 'em down to keep from getting black eyes when you run."

Sayuri wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so Ayano just laughed as she tugged her towards the half of the store that sold clothes for ninja. Some civilians shopped there purely because the clothes were longer-lasting, with stronger seams and tougher material. However, because they were for sneaking around, most of the clothes were in blander colors – black and dark brown predominating – and with few patterns beyond a simple color block.

"There's not really a good way to do this," Ayano sighed, looking around at the racks and racks of clothes. "Are you good to browse?"

"I can tell the style and feel of the clothes," Sayuri nodded. "If you could tell me the colors and make suggestions, perhaps?"

"Alright, kid," Ayano said, rubbing her hands together. "Into the fray we go."

They spent several minutes scanning the racks. Ayano again amused herself by handing Sayuri some revealing clothes to go over. Sayuri always blushed and handed them back with some sort of mumbled rejection. Ayano got bored with that and turned back to her task.

"You like kind of traditional stuff, it seems," Ayano mused. She handed Sayuri a few shirts to look at. She ran her fingers over them.

"What colors are they?"

"This one's red, this one's blue with purple edging, and the one next to it is gray with blue edging."

"I like the gray one," Sayuri said, happy she'd finally found something.

"Most shinobi just have one outfit they wear for everyday. You okay with that?"

"Yes," Sayuri nodded, and Ayano grabbed a few more of the same shirt.

They found a few shirts for going out with friends and a couple pairs of pajamas before venturing off to find pants. Sayuri was completely fine with the loose, dark pants Ayano handed her right off the bat, and a lighter pair for going out.

"You'll need some kind of a belt to attach your stuff to, and most people wear wrappings under their kunai holster to keep from chafing as bad," Ayano explained.

"Where are the wrappings?"

"On the shelf to your left. I'd grab several rolls," Ayano warned when Sayuri placed one inside. She tossed in a few more and Ayano nodded in satisfaction. "How about we keep up the traditional theme with something like this?" Ayano suggested, holding up an obi. "Light blue," she added as Sayuri took it to examine.

"I like it," Sayuri nodded.

"Think it's time to head for a fitting room and see how these fit?" Ayano asked, tilting her head in that direction. Sayuri nodded and stepped into one of the empty stalls. Ayano handed her all of the clothes while she waited outside with their bags of shopping. "Now come out when you're dressed so I can critique!" she called cheerfully.

Sayuri took a moment inside the stall to let out a deep breath. Ayano was nice, and Sayuri really liked her. She hoped she got to spend more time with the older woman. However, her energy was boundless while at the same time she was capable of seeming like she didn't care at all. It was a personality that was completely new to her. She'd found another new truth in her life. It was possible for her to have friends.

Gathering her thoughts up, Sayuri stripped and put on her pajamas, a pair of loose sweatpants and a loose, long-sleeved shirt. She stepped out and Ayano approved. She did the same for the short and tank top/t-shirt combo they'd gotten for warmer weather and again Ayano approved. Her casual clothes were also quickly approved.

"You're an easy shopper," Ayano commented as Sayuri changed into her ninja gear. She tugged on the pants and shirt and wrapped the belt tightly around her middle. Her hand hit something else and she quickly realized it was a pair of fingerless gloves with a metal plate on the back Ayano must have snuck into the pile. She smiled slightly, remembering her conversation with Satoru by the blackberry bush and realized he must have said something to her. She whispered a quiet thank you to him as she tugged them on and stepped out, flexing her hands at the new feeling.

"Your bones put you at kind of a disadvantage," Ayano mused. "You're gonna rip holes in everything you wear that way."

"That's unfortunate," Sayuri mused, touching the shoulders and arms of her shirt.

Other than that, Ayano mused, she looked pretty good. A little less colorful than most girls her age, but whatever. Her black pants were loose, the ankles tucked into her sandals. The gray shirt hung down to her knees with a slit up the sides to her hips. The front zipped up just above where she'd belted it, and the sleeves went all the way down her arms.

"Oh, brainstorm!" Ayano grinned, jumping up and tugging Ayano towards the dressing room. She pointed to the roll of wrapping. "You could wrap your torso and wear it a little more open in the front. Then if you needed to use your kekkei genkai, you could just shrug the top bit off."

"That could work," Sayuri mused.

"Try it!" Ayano encouraged, ducking back out. Sayuri shrugged off the top part of her shirt and picked up the wrapping. She quickly did her whole torso, before thinking again. That seemed a bit wasteful considering her shirt would be on most of the time, so she backtracked and just wrapped her chest, leaving her stomach bare. She felt a bit uncomfortable with that until she pulled her shirt back on and tugged up the zipper to the bottoms of the wrapping.

"Much better!" Ayano praised, applauding as Sayuri emerged. "I like it."

Sayuri turned this way and that, smiling at the way the fabric moved easily with her and didn't restrict her movement. She smiled as she ran her hands over the fabric. For one it was slightly stiff with disuse instead of thread-bare, ill-fitting, and holey. It was without a doubt the nicest thing she'd ever worn.

Sayuri paused as she felt eyes on her. "Are people looking at me?" she asked self-consciously. Did she look ridiculous?

Ayano glanced around. A few women hastily bowed their heads over the racks and busied themselves flipping through styles. "A little," she noted. She looked Sayuri over. "I think it may be the markings around your eyes," she guessed.

"... Could I cover them?" Sayuri asked self-consciously.

"I suppose," Ayano mused. "It wouldn't make much of a difference except to hide the marks."

"Can I get another like this one?" Sayuri asked, fingering the belt at her waist. "I can shorten it myself."

"If you can sew, I may hire you to do my mending," Ayano said wryly. "Yeah, sure, you can get what you want. Change back into your old clothes and I'll grab another."

They spent a few minutes getting some basic hygiene items – toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shampoo, conditioner, that sort of thing – and then headed back to Satoru's house.

"That was one of the most painless shopping trips I've ever been on," Ayano grinned as they walked. "Hey, we've got a bit, do you still want to grab some lunch?"

Sayuri opened her mouth to reply and then closed it abruptly. Strange sounds were reaching her ears from the building next to them. Whirring, humming, buzzing, the sound of water rushing. "What are we standing next to?"

"A hair salon," Ayano said, glancing up at the sign. She looked at Sayuri's hair. It reached below her rear. "You might want to consider a haircut. A lot of kunoichi keep their hair short, for convenience and so it doesn't get caught in things. You game?"

"Yes," Sayuri said immediately, recalling the annoying times when the Kaguyas caught her by her hair and threw her into things. It was infrequent enough that she'd never bothered to cut it, but frequent enough to be memorable.

Several minutes later she walked out, her head feeling a startling amount lighter. Her hair now reached to her chin in choppy pieces, bangs falling over her left eye.

"Well, no time for lunch," Ayano said, glancing around. She saw a man with a cart selling ice cream across the street. "Oh, but there's time for ice cream!"

Sayuri looked at her blankly. "What?"

Ayano gaped at her. "You don't know what ice cream is?" she demanded.

Sayuri flinched. "I'm… sorry?"

"I have to fix this. We need to get some frozen, creamy goodness in you, stat, kid," Ayano said, dragging her across the street. "Two vanilla cones please, my good man!" she asked, dramatically pulling out her wallet. "I've got this," she added to Sayuri. "I get to buy your first ice cream cone. I feel so special," she giggled.

"Thank you?" Sayuri said, a bit dizzied by Ayano's sudden excitement, not that she hadn't been energetic the whole trip. Some sort of cone was shoved into her hand. Sayuri leaned forwards and sniffed it cautiously. It smelled cold and sweet.

"You lick it," Ayano encouraged, biting into her own cone with a happy crunch. Sayuri licked it and her eyes widened in delight. It was cool and smooth, and the longer she held it on her tongue, the more it melted. She began licking eagerly.

"This is the best thing I've ever tasted," Sayuri breathed.

"Next time you'll have to try chocolate," Ayano grinned.

"What's chocolate?" Sayuri asked interestedly. Was it even better than this?

Ayano just stared at her. "You... don't know what chocolate is?"

Sayuri shook her head, focused entirely on her treat.

"You haven't lived," Ayano mourned. "We will have to go out again sometime, and I'll expose you to the wonders of chocolate."

"It's that great?"

"It fixes broken hearts, encourages love, and just all around makes you feel better."

"… Is it some kind of drug?"

"Yes," Ayano replied seriously. "The world's most addictive drug."


	5. Capable

**Let me explain the timeline thus far. Sayuri began feeding Kimimaro when she was eight and he was ten. Two years passed and the Kaguya clan was wiped out. When she was ten she met Satoru. Now I looked all over and I couldn't find an actual age for when Academy students start school, so I went with eight. We know Sakura and Ino met in the early days of the Academy, and they look around eight to me at that point. Academy students graduate around age twelve or thirteen, and I'm assuming they have more than two or three years of school. Five seemed about right to me. **

**This is kind of a bridge chapter. I'm not going to describe too much of Sayuri's Academy days or her week of training with Satoru. Why? Because you don't want to read about every sweaty pushup any more than I want to write it. Plus, I want to get into the meat of the story- when Sayuri gets a team and starts going on ninja missions.**

**Alright, enough of my blabbering. Story time!**

* * *

**Truth: She could to anything.**

Ayano returned Sayuri to Satoru safely. Satoru sent her off to put away her new things. He'd cleared a space for her in the bathroom and found a box for her to put her weapons in and another for her clothes. They fit smoothly under the coffee table by the couch. It occurred to him that he'd have to make some allowances if Sayuri was going to be there for any length of time.

"I like that kid," Ayano said as Sayuri busied herself in the bathroom putting on her new training clothes.

"I do to," Satoru said, glancing towards the door. He was pretty sure Sayuri would be able to hear them from there.

"You're getting soft, Minamoto," Ayano chuckled, punching Satoru's shoulder. He rubbed it with a wince.

"You're certainly not. That hurt."

"Ah, don't be a baby," Ayano scoffed. "You've got a pretty sweet deal though. Housekeeper and cook all for the price of playing teacher again, and soon you won't even be doing that."

"I'll keep teaching her even when she's in the Academy," Satoru corrected. "She's too behind for a week of intense training to fix. If she's lucky she'll walk in able to throw a kunai and shuriken decently and easily use her kekkei genkai."

"Have faith in her," Ayano rebuked. "She might just blow your mind. Maybe I'll drop by to hang out with her again," she said teasingly. "That kid's better company that you are."

"Hey!" Satoru protested dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. "I'm wounded. Seriously though," he added, teasing tone vanishing. "Thanks for taking her out for me."

"Hey, I owe you a couple small favors," Ayano shrugged. "Just let me know when I can help. You know, you're gonna be dealing with a teenage girl here in a few years. Think you can handle it?"

Satoru winced. "I may hand her off to you."

Ayano chuckled. "Satoru Minamoto: badass shinobi, runs in fear at the thought of a teenage girl. You, sir, are a wimp."

"I, ma'am, am not a girl," he corrected. "I don't know about girl things."

Ayano chuckled. "You sure? There's a bet going around…"

Satoru swung at her teasingly and Ayano darted back.

"Later, Minamoto!" she chuckled as she walked off.

"Do I need any weapons?" Sayuri asked, poking her head out of the bathroom.

"Set up a standard equipment pouch and kunai holster," Satoru ordered, sliding easily into teacher mode.

"Yes sir," Sayuri responded. She struggled slightly to get everything in place, but she got it in the end, attaching her equipment pouch to her hip and her kunai holster to her taped thigh as Ayano had told her.

Satoru took her to a place out in the open. She felt grass against her toes and vaguely heard the wind in the trees nearby.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"An empty training field," he said, turning to face her. His face was serious. "Sayuri, I'm not going to lie. This is going to be harder for you than most people , because you're blind and because you haven't trained for this like other kids have. For a while you will be weaker than others-"

"I'm _not_ weak!" Sayuri snapped.

"I didn't say weak, I said weak_er_," Satoru corrected. "These kids have trained for a couple years now. You get that, right? They've been developing muscles and skills you haven't. You'll be weak compared to them, but you're already strong for your age.

"What I'm saying is I'm not going to go easy on you. This will be hard, and it will be painful. I'm not going to let you quit halfway through and waste my time. I need to know that this is what you want to do, or there's no reason for either of us to be here."

Sayuri thought for a moment. Until Satoru dropped into her life, she'd never considered becoming a ninja, in part because she didn't have access to the kind of training. She also was told she couldn't fight. It had never seemed possible to her until Satoru offered her the chance and told her he thought she could do it.

But now she wanted more than anything to fight. Not the thirst for violence the Kaguya were known for, but she wanted to fight nonetheless, to prove herself, to prove them wrong. She wanted to be able to show that even after being put down and stepped on her whole life, she could do something she never thought she'd be able to do. She wanted to prove to herself that she wasn't worthless, as she'd thought for so many years.

She remembered Kimimaro, curled in his cell, flinching at the sight of the light, carving a face in the wall so he had someone to talk to. She remembered hearing him talk about having someone watch over him, wondering if it was true that everyone had someone like that, protecting and guiding him. She couldn't be that for Kimimaro, but maybe she could be that for someone else.

"I do," Sayuri said confidently. Satoru nodded approvingly.

"Alright then. Let's get started."

Sayuri was on the ground, unable to move, by the end of the day. Satoru squatted next to her, calmly patting her shoulder.

"You did very well," he encouraged. She groaned in response.

"How do people… do this… every day?"

"You signed up for this," Satoru pointed out.

"I kn-now."

Everything hurt. Muscles she didn't even know she _had_ were suddenly making their presence very clear in the form of screaming, burning pain. She hadn't quite understood the severity of what she'd signed up for, but she wasn't turning back now. Somehow though, she couldn't picture Ayano having done all this. She just seemed a bit too… flighty? That wasn't the word… uncaring, that was it. Sayuri couldn't picture Ayano putting this much effort into anything.

"And Ayano… is a… jonin?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well," Sayuri began, wary of insulting her, also still struggling to breathe. "She just… doesn't seem… all that…"

"Powerful?" Satoru finished, easily guessing where she was going. "Yeah, she doesn't, but don't ever piss her o- oh, er, make her mad," he corrected sheepishly.

"I've heard… worse," Sayuri assured him.

"Ah. Well, she's dangerous one because she uses lightning ninjutsu-"

"You can… do that?" Sayuri asked in awe. "Will I learn?"

"Not for a while kid, it takes way more chakra than you've got to use right now," Satoru chuckled, ruffling her newly-shortened hair. "It's not just that though. For a while, when we were younger, Ayano focused on taijutsu. Her kicks were – _are_ – legendary," Satoru said, rubbing his side with a winced. Sayuri guessed he'd felt those kicks personally before. "But then she found out she was good with lightning and developed a whole new fighting style."

"What do you mean?" Sayuri asked blankly. How could one create a style of fighting?

"What she does is uses her hands to focus her chakra while using her legs to direct it. Her kicks are powered with lightning and used to fling the lightning at a target or electrify something she kicks. She could literally kill you with both hands tied behind her back."

"Wow," Sayuri breathed. She was starting to be able to talk without panting. "That's incredible. It sounds so useful too! Like if you were tied up and captured, you could still fight just as well."

"Hey, play your cards right and maybe when you're out of the Academy she'll teach it to you," Satoru grinned crookedly. He privately rather doubted it. Several new genin, chunin, and even jonin had come to Ayano begging to learn how her style worked. Fighting with just your legs was nothing new, but the way Ayano used her legs to direct the element for than her hands and hand signs was unheard of. She'd never taught anyone though. He vividly recalled a time two Hyugas approached and tried to buy the knowledge from her. She'd sent them back to their clan scorched, hair on end, and smelling like ozone.

"How long have you known her?" Sayuri asked. Clearly they'd been friends a while. Satoru spoke about her confidently, like he was sure of what he knew of her character.

"Since we were fresh out of the Academy," Satoru recalled. "We were on a three-man squad together when we were genin. Before that we'd never spoken much. But we advanced at different rates, and she's always been stronger than me, so we got different missions, and sort of… drifted apart."

"I'm sorry."

"Nah, not a big deal. Happens to most genin teams."

"So women can be just as powerful as men?" Sayuri asked. This ran very much contradictory to what she'd learned from the Kaguya, but then she'd learned there was a lot the Kaguya were wrong about. Here she was, blind, on the verge of becoming a fighter. She'd learned there was more to life than the fight. There was shopping with a friend and learning from a teacher.

"Oh yeah," Satoru snorted. "A lot of people will tell you the women are more vicious then the men. They may have a bit of a biological disadvantage, but I can't think of one kunoichi I know who I'd willingly tick off." He glanced at the sky, judging the time. "Come on, let's get some food in you and then you can sleep."

* * *

Satoru hadn't lied. This was not easy. Sayuri panted. She sweated more than she ever had in her life. She struggled for breath. Her muscles burned and tore. She cut and bruised herself all over, and she didn't get proper time to heal. When they sparred, Satoru didn't pull his punches he hit her as hard as he would an enemy. The aches and pains just compounded day after day. Sayuri knew how to take a hit, but now she was learning how to take it and still keep coming.

But she reveled in every bit of it. She felt a rush of pride every time she was a second faster, a bit stronger. Every time she hit that little bit harder or reacted that little bit faster, was that much more accurate with her kunai or shuriken, she luxuriated in the feeling of accomplishment.

She was doing it. Against all odds, she was _doing it._ In that week, she found a new truth: she could do anything.

She thought she'd just be running and doing pushups to build up her strength and speed. She envisioned sparring practices, but there was so much more she hadn't even considered.

Sayuri began her days at the same early time, but now instead of cleaning, she did stretches to loosen her muscles and improve her flexibility. She fixed a quick breakfast and then Satoru took her to the training field. She ran laps and did pushups and sit ups until she dripped sweat, and then the real work began.

Satoru had her use her kekkei genkai over and over, doing the same thing time after time until it was instinctive. She learned to coat her body just under the skin with bone stronger that steel. Satoru would punch and kick at her from random directions. It was her job to block it with a bone from the right spot, and if that wasn't feasible, with her arms or legs.

Satoru coached her on how to grip and throw shuriken, kunai, and senbon correctly and how to throw a curve, where the weak points on the human body were, how to counter it if an opponent was wearing armor. Sayuri proved very adept with finding weak points on the body using her sensing, but she struggled with stationary targets.

Her sensing was another thing they trained. It was very basic when they started. She could usually only tell who it was by the feel and where they were. If they started walking, she could tell what direction they were going. If they did something obvious like thrust out a limb she could tell, like a little shock in her mind telling her which way the limb was going, but for more subtle things she was lost.

The training Satoru developed for that would probably have looked a little hilarious to an outsider. A grown man standing in the middle of an otherwise empty field making random, strange movements while a little girl told him what he was doing wasn't exactly normal.

Sayuri learned basic moves and hand signs quickly. She was very good at mimicking things once she'd observed them once or twice. She learned to throw a punch correctly, not to bend her wrist or put her thumb on the inside. She learned how to kick without hurting her toes or her ankle.

Satoru also taught her basic things like knots and traps. When night fell and they returned to the apartment, Sayuri still insisted on making dinner for them. Satoru watched her limp around the kitchen nightly, wincing at every movement, cooking for him. While they ate, he would quiz her on the handbook.

All in all, Satoru was proud of her progress. In only a weak she'd gone from knowing nothing to being able to do basic taijutsu moves, throw weapons with a decent amount of accuracy, and sense most movements.

* * *

"I'm scared," Sayuri admitted softly as Satoru walked her towards the Academy. Normally a student would be given directions and sent off, but Sayuri couldn't exactly read street signs and Satoru couldn't really say 'twenty-eight steps, then a right, forty steps and a left,' so he was left walking her.

"Everyone is their first day," Satoru soothed. "You're just starting a little late."

Sayuri heard the whispers as she walked into the building. Clusters of students muttered as she passed with Satoru. They speculated on who she was, why she was with Satoru, and what they were doing here.

"I wonder why she's holding onto him like that?"

"Big baby."

"What's she thinking, covering her eyes?"

"Idiot."

"You'll be in Iruka's class," Satoru instructed as he paused outside a door. Children's voices could be heard talking softly inside.

"Ah, Satoru, it's been a while," greeted a man's voice in a friendly way.

"Iruka," Satoru grinned at the teacher.

"I know you're not coming back to teach," Iruka said knowingly.

"I've got your new student," Satoru explained.

"Oh right! I heard you were catching her up on some things," Iruka recalled.

Satoru gently tugged his sleeve from Sayuri's fingers. "This is her."

"Hi," Iruki smiled. "I hope you'll enjoy your time in my class and learn a lot. You're lucky to have Satoru teaching you too."

"Thanks," Sayuri murmured.

"Can you introduce yourself to Iruka?" Satoru encouraged.

"Yes."

Satoru looked at her in amusement. "Well, will you?"

"Oh, right," Sayuri said, flustered. "My name is Sayuri Kaguya."

"You think you'll be able to find your way to the classroom on your own tomorrow?" Satoru asked, concern leaking into his voice as he tried to hide it.

"Yes," Sayuri replied. Nerves seemed to be making her incredibly monosyllabic.

This was what she had feared. She knew children could be cruel. She anticipated being mocked for being weak at first, but she kept telling herself it wouldn't be so bad. Sayuri promised herself that she'd be the hardest-working student Iruka had ever had. She'd be on par with these other students as soon as humanly possible.

"Alright then. Can you get home?" Satoru asked. She nodded. "Okay. Iruka, I'm turning her over to you."

"Okay then," Iruka nodded. "You can take the seat in the second row from the back, two chairs from the wall. That sound okay?"

"Fine," Sayuri agreed as Satoru put an encouraging hand on her shoulder. Iruka gave such good directions Sayuri wondered if he'd taught blind kids before.

"See you after school," Satoru said, walking off.

"Take your seat," Iruka said. "When class starts, I'm going to call you up to formally introduce you to the class, okay?"

It _wasn't_ particularly okay with her, but Sayuri just nodded, mouth too dry to speak. Sayuri stepped inside the classroom. Or at least she tried to. She ended up slamming into a wall.

"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing her nose. "Who put that there?"

"Uh…" Iruka said blankly, turning her slightly and giving her a light shove in the proper direction.

Sayuri slid into her assigned seat as instructed, flushing. She sat there, back ramrod straight, hands knotted in her lap, just listening to everyone talking around her. There were a few people whispering about her, but most people didn't seem to notice her.

"Alright you all, settle down!" Iruka called. There was a great scraping of chairs as people settled into their seats. Sayuri stiffened, knowing what was coming next. "As I expect you've noticed, we have a new student. Sayuri, would you come down here?"

Sayuri used the presence of other people to guide her and keep her from falling down or running into desks as she walked to the front of the tiered classroom. She stopped next to Iruka and turned to face the class, hands still knotted in front of her. She was nervously popping her joints.

"Tell us your name, where you're from, and something you like to do," Iruka encouraged.

"Sayuri Kaguya. I'm from somewhere near the Village Hidden in the Mist. I don't know precisely where," she admitted. "Something I like to do…? Um, I like to clean, and I like to carve wood."

"That's very interesting," Iruka nodded. "Any questions for Sayuri?"

"Yeah, why've you got your eyes covered? You're not gonnr be able to see like that, you know. Do you have some kind of scar or something?" blurted out a voice to her right.

"Naruto," Iruka groaned from next to her. "You don't just ask questions like that…"

"I mean we're all curious sensei," called a girl's voice from the back. "Everyone knows blocking off one of your senses is just dumb!"

"It doesn't make any difference whether I cover my eyes or not," Sayuri said softly. "I'm blind, so I can't see anyway."

The muttering around the class increased to fever pitch at that.

"Well I think it's great she'd trying to become a ninja," Iruka said over them. "Now I hope you'll all welcome her. You can return to your seat now," he added softly to her. Sayuri nodded and moved back towards her seat.

Sayuri enjoyed the Academy, but there were certain things she wasn't prepared for. She was supposed to be learning to reading, math, and science.

Science was rough, as she had none of the building blocks to keep up with the lessons. Satoru took her to the library to find books on the subject to help her catch up, which he read to her at night before she went to sleep. Reading was her biggest problem. She couldn't see the letter to read or write them. This exempted her from part of the work, but not the comprehension or vocabulary bits. Math wasn't so bad. She knew how to count, and once she knew the different ways the numbers were supposed to work together based on what symbol was used, she could pretty much figure it out if someone read her the problem.

Her lack of sight wasn't as big of a problem as she thought it would be. In fact, it led to finding her first friend in the Academy. Iruka assigned the shy girl who sat next to her, Miyako Hasekura, to read the assignments and worksheets to her. From there, Miyako also helped her reason her way through the subjects in the first few, roughest days.

At first, both girls were shy around each other, being naturally wary of new people. Miyako and Sayuri were both fairly quiet people to begin with, and they spent class quietly mumbling to each other about the assignment. It changed when Sayuri walked up to Miyako during lunch and asked for help with a math concept she didn't understand. From there the conversation evolved and they ended up talking about their home lives and their classmates.

From then on, they were friends and always ate lunch together. Miyako even came over for dinner with Satoru and Sayuri every now and then. They studied together and once Ayano even took them out for ramen when she dropped in and found the two buried in dense science textbooks. 'Saving them from becoming little nerds,' she'd cried before dragging both girls out of the house.

That wasn't to say Sayuri had a lot of free time. Satoru still worked her hard even when she came home from the Academy after a long day of rough training. She was still rolling into bed sore and bruised and waking up the next morning hating her muscles for still hurting. She frequently was asked by people at the Academy why she was always bruised, but she just shook her head and didn't respond.

Sayuri loved it though. She took the pain as a consequence of the advancement. She reveled every time she was able to do one more push up or sit up than the day before, or run that extra mile. The day she did her first jutsu correctly she had actually squealed in delight and hugged a startled Satoru. Considering she was transformed into Ayano at the time it was a bit awkward, what with Sayuri not being used to the extra height, and she ended up sort-of tackling him.

* * *

The last straw came in the form of a simple mutter of, "Stupid."

Sayuri's palms slammed down on the desktop and she stood up sharply.

"Sayuri?" Iruka asked in shock.

"I'm _sorry_ I haven't spent years learning about math and science or how to read words I'll never be able to see on a page. You see, my education up until a few years ago was a bit _different_. My clan only wanted to fight, and I couldn't do that, and I'm a girl besides. So guess what? I became their personal slave. I cleaned up them and mended their clothes and fed them and they repaid me by telling me how worthless I was and beating me up. So _no_, I don't know how to read or write or do much math, but I'd like to see _any_ of you provide for yourselves as well as I can."

Sayuri unzipped her shirt and shrugged it off. She rolled her shoulder, popping it loudly. A spur of bone shot out of her shoulders and palms and Sayuri held up her hands so everyone could see. There were several cries of disgust and someone screamed, "Freak!"

"Maybe I am," Sayuri agreed. "But I am_ not. Stupid._ The next person that says I am, I will skewer with my radius, I don't care."

That said, she turned back to a wide-eyed Miyako. "Now, explain long division to me again before I hit something," she ordered.

Miyako immediately began doing so, struggling to hold back a smile. Iruka turned everyone back to their work, also smothering a small grin as he did so.

* * *

The day of the graduation exams, Sayuri practically vibrated with nervous energy. She was holding Miyako's hand under the desk, and she was shaking as well, more out of fear than nerves.

"Miyako Arita!" Iruka called. At her side, Miyako winced.

"You'll be great," Sayuri assured her as she stood.

"Thanks," Miyako whispered back as she left for the testing room.

Sayuri had every confidence in Miyako. Her friend may be more of a genjutsu-type, and she may be shy and nervous, but she was good, and she had a strong kekkei genkai, despite the conflicts it caused in her family. She studied hard and maintained good grades. She was constantly jockeying with Sasuke, Sakura, and, surprisingly, Ino for the best grades.

Miyako didn't really look at first glance like she could handle the life of a shinobi at first glance. She was a petite, red-haired girl. She always wore plain, loose, black clothes and the only ornamentation was her family's symbol just above her wrist on the sleeves, a red dragon. Her black eyes were usually fixed on the ground, and she rarely looked people in the eye when she spoke to them. She was a lot like Hinata in her shyness.

She didn't see Miyako. Once you took the test you were allowed to go. Most people had family waiting outside to congratulate or sympathize with them depending on how they did. Miyako would be with her parents, and they would undoubtedly be proud. There had been some doubts she would be able to do it, which was a problem, considering she was the heir to her clan.

"Sayuri Kaguya!"


	6. Kindness

**Truth: Everyone needs a kind word sometimes.**

"_Sayuri Kaguya!"_

Sayuri took a deep breath and left the classroom, walking down the hall to the testing room. She opened the door and poked her head in cautiously. The room was empty expect for Iruka and Mizuki sitting at a table, neatly-folded hitai-ate on the table in front of them, waiting to be given to those who passed.

"Sayuri, are you ready?" Iruka asked as she followed the wall to the back of the room. "Make as many clones as you can, please."

"Yes sir," Sayuri responded, slipping back into the respectful, demure addresses she'd learned as a child. She had a habit of doing that when she was nervous or speaking to someone she respected.

Sayuri took a deep breath and began gathering up her chakra. She formed her hands into the correct hand signs and said, "Clone Jutsu!"

Four clones appeared around her, standing calmly and waiting for any direction.

"Well done!" Iruka congratulated.

"Iruka, they don't look much like her," Mizuki said, leaning over skeptically. The faces were slightly different, the marks placement off.

"_She_ doesn't know what she looks like," Iruka hissed back.

"Oh, she's the blind one?" Mizuki asked innocently. Iruka gave him a dark look.

"Be polite."

"Have I passed?" Sayuri asked softly, not letting on that she heard their quiet conversation.

"Yes," Iruka said. "You can come forwards and take your hitai-ate."

Sayuri stepped forwards, guiding herself with Iruka's position and a guess at how wide the table was. He stretched out his hand and she met it, feeling the weight of the metal plate and the smooth fabric in her hand.

"Thank you, sir," she said, bowing.

"You're now a shinobi, a genin," Iruka announced. "You may leave and find your family."

Sayuri nodded and left the room. She knew the halls of the Academy by heart now, after training here for three years. Long gone were the days when she'd have to stop and figure out where she was and where that was in relation to where she was trying to go.

She stepped out into the sun and was immediately accosted by two excited voices.

"Did you pass?" Ayano asked eagerly. "Did you? Huh? Did you? _Did you?_"

"You know she did!" Satoru said proudly.

Wordlessly, Sayuri held up her new hitai-ate and gave her widest grin.

"I knew it!" Satoru crowed. He picked Sayuri up and swung her around. "I knew it! What do you want to eat tonight, huh? My treat! We'll celebrate!"

"Ice cream?" Sayuri asked hopefully, glancing back at Ayano, who chuckled.

"You got it, kid."

"Sayuri!"

Miyako slipped through the crowd and moved up to her, eyes big and hopeful.

"Did you-"

"I did!" Sayuri cut her off. The two girls laughed and hugged each other happily.

"We're shinobi now!" Miyako said, looking vaguely dizzied by the thought. "We'll be going on missions and helping people and protecting the village and… and my father will be pressuring me to help him… and… and… oh, I think I need to sit down," she said faintly.

"Breathe," Sayuri encouraged. Miyako gulped in air. "Don't panic. You'll be great."

Miyako gave her a grateful grin. "Who do you think will be on our squads?" she asked thoughtfully.

Sayuri turned to Ayano. "Ayano, you're taking on a team this year. Do you know where we are?"

"That would be telling," Ayano said, grinning mischievously.

"A hint, _please!"_ Miyako begged.

"You'll both be pretty happy with your teams," Ayano said mysteriously.

"I'm glad of that, I was worried I-" Sayuri cut herself off abruptly and turned her head. "Is that Naruto on the swing?"

Miyako glanced around the crowd and saw that Naruto was indeed sitting on the swing, watching the triumphant children longingly. "Yeah. I heard he's the only one who didn't pass," she said softly.

"We should talk to him," Sayuri said suddenly. Miyako looked at her.

"What, no! We don't know him that well, and he's sad, and it would be uncomfortable, and…"

"And he's sad, so we should try and help," Sayuri said. She grabbed Miyako's wrist. "Come on."

Sayuri dragged Miyako over to Naruto. She liked him, in all honesty. His antics always made her smile and while he wasn't the best shinobi, he made up for lack of innate talent with a truly startling determination. However, people mostly avoided him, for reasons she didn't understand. The truth was, everyone needs a kind word sometimes.

"Hey Naruto," Sayuri greeted calmly.

Naruto looked up at the two girls in surprise. They never really spoke much in class, barring Sayuri's memorable outburst where she threatened to skewer anyone who called her stupid. Miyako looked uncomfortable, but Sayuri just looked sympathetic, or as sympathetic as she was able with her eyes hidden behind a scarf.

"Hey," he replied, trying to sound happy. He failed dismally. "Some test, huh?"

"You'll get it next year," Sayuri encouraged. "You just need practice, a little more, and you could be a genin."

"Yeah, you'll be great," Miyako said faintly. She wasn't good around people she didn't know well.

He smiled at them. "Thanks guys."

"Ladies, can I talk to Naruto alone for a moment?"

Both girls turned and nodded to Mizuki, surprised by his sudden appearance, before walking back to the crowd.

"That was nice of you guys," Ayano praised. "Miyako, your dad was looking for you a second ago."

Miyako nodded. "I should go. See you at orientation tomorrow?" she asked Sayuri quickly.

"Of course," Sayuri nodded. "We can walk together. Your house is on my way."

"Great," Miyako smiled. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

They hugged quickly and Miyako scurried off to find her mother, who was at once promising to make her favorite dishes and scolding her for running off into the crowd.

"So, are you going to do anything interesting with your forehead protector?" Satoru asked, tapping his own wrapped around his right thigh just above his kunai holster.

Sayuri nodded and pulled off the belt over her eyes, tucking it into her shirt as they walked. She raised her hitai-ate and used it to cover her eyes instead.

"Original," Ayano announced.

"No one else would be crazy enough to cover their eyes," Sayuri said, fingering her hair.

"Have you finished those gifts you were going to make for your new teammates?" Satoru asked.

"What gifts?" Ayano asked blankly.

"Tell her," Satoru encouraged.

"You remember those hair pins I gave you last year?" Sayuri asked.

"How could I forget? Those things are gorgeous," Ayano grinned. For her birthday the year before, Satoru had taken Ayano out for dinner and Sayuri had given her a pair of lacquered wooden hair pins she'd carved herself with detailed roses at the top.

"I'm doing the same thing, only I'm using bone," Sayuri explained. "It's difficult, because the ends are pointed so they can be thrown like senbon, but to get them hard enough to do any damage makes them more difficult to carve."

"I see," Ayano nodded. "That's a pretty neat idea. At least you don't have to go out and buy new materials if you mess up," she joked.

"No, I don't," Sayuri said with a small smile.

Ice cream had kind of become a habit for Sayuri and Ayano. Every time they went out, they made sure to stop and get a cone. For a while, Sayuri always got something different, eagerly sampling all the different flavors. Ayano had enjoyed watching her acting all giddy over treats like a kid should. Satoru joined them whenever he could.

"One vanilla, one chocolate, and one mint chocolate chip," Ayano ordered.

"It's like you know us," Satoru teased.

"Yeah, I know you, Mr. Vanilla," she sighed, shaking her head as she passed him his cone. "I don't know where I went wrong with you. Such a boring flavor…"

"Oh, and chocolate isn't?" Satoru challenged.

"Chocolate trumps everything," Ayano said happily, licking her ice cream. Sayuri took hers and started eating.

"Hey, Lily-girl!"

Sayuri sighed and turned to see Izumo and Kotetsu waving from across the street. She saw them every now and then, not often enough to really consider them friends, but they got along decently.

"Kotetsu, I've asked you not to call me that," Sayuri pointed out.

"Repeatedly," Izumo agreed.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Kotetsu groaned.

"You shouldn't call her names she doesn't like," Satoru scolded, pulling out his stern voice.

"I'm getting tag-teamed!" he complained. "Here we are, thinking we'd be nice and come over here and congratulate your graduation!"

"Thank you, guys," Sayuri said, smiling slightly.

"No problem," Izumo said, ruffling her hair. "Maybe one day we'll go out on a mission together."

"That'll be a while," Satoru said hastily.

"Whoa, Satoru's going into protective dad mode. Time to make our escape before he starts telling us to settle down and start a family," Kotetsu chuckled.

"Nice to see you," Izumo said.

"You too," Ayano and Satoru nodded as the two wandered off into a restaurant down the street.

Satoru shook his head. "I swear, sometimes I think Kotetsu likes Sayuri way more than he should," he said protectively.

"That would make him a pedophile," Sayuri said calmly, licking her ice cream.

Satoru choked on his ice cream. "Where'd you hear that word?"

"She's not a little kid anymore, Satoru," Ayano snorted.

"What was it like when you were genin?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Well, in the beginning you get pretty easy missions," Satoru recalled. "Finding lost pets, light cleaning, easy stuff. That gets you working together and helps you get in sync with the other people on your team."

"I never went in for that," Ayano recalled. "I always thought it was dumb. Learn by doing. It doesn't take any kind of ability to weed a garden or split some logs. Training all the way."

"Didn't you use to tie up your students?" Satoru recalled.

"Maybe a little," she said innocently. "Hey, Kakashi restrains his too."

"Kakashi's just crazy enough to get away with it."

"And I'm not? You wound me, Satoru!"

"Please, you're too tough for that."

"Charmer," Ayano grinned.

Sayuri buried her smile in her ice cream cone. Satoru and Ayano were a little bit… _blatantly obvious._ They both liked each other a lot, more than as good friends or old teammates. Sayuri had noticed it in the years she'd been staying with Satoru. Whenever Ayano was around he seemed to perk up. She kept hoping he'd screw up his courage and ask her out one day. Privately, she thought they were adorable.

They finished their ice cream and Sayuri spent the rest of the day at home with Satoru. Ice cream wasn't a real meal, so she fixed them something simple when the time came for dinner. Satoru tried to protest and said that it was her special day, so she shouldn't have to cook. Sayuri told him she'd been cooking for years, so it wasn't a big deal to her. She enjoyed it.

They were in a different apartment now. It became clear a year after Sayuri began staying with Satoru that he didn't want her to go and she didn't really want to leave. He'd become like an older brother to her, and she was like his little sister. They'd moved into a slightly larger apartment. Really the only difference was that this new one had one more bedroom, so now Sayuri was no longer living on the couch.

Sayuri was up a bit later than usual. Satoru had already turned in for the night so she sat up on her bed and carved, putting the final touches on the last pair of hair pins she was making. Sayuri ran her fingers over the carvings and smiled at the texture. She couldn't find a flaw anywhere.

She set the hair pins aside and turned to her equipment pouch, double-checking to make sure that she had everything she might need for whatever her new teacher might decide to throw at her tomorrow, tucking the hair pins in along the bottom. She set out her clothes for the next day, hitai-ate on top, and laid down to sleep.

* * *

The next morning Sayuri was up, dressed, and out of the house before Satoru even got up. He wasn't surprised to see breakfast on the table though, the house a little cleaner than it had been last night, and Sayuri's bed neatly made. Some things never changed.

Sayuri walked to Miyako's with a spring in her step. She stood outside of the house and waited, leaning against the fence. Miyako burst out the door, tightening her forehead protector as she went. She was wearing it over her forehead in the standard style.

"Are you ready?" Miyako asked breathlessly. "Our first day… our teams… our teachers… It's so exciting!"

"Breathe," Sayuri said calmly as they started walking towards the Academy. They had to report there for orientation.

"I'm calm," Miyako disagreed after a few deep breaths. Sayuri ran a hand over her cheek.

"You're twitching," she accused.

"Well, yes, because… I mean, the life of a shinobi is violent!" Miyako burst out, stopping. Sayuri paused and looked back at her in surprise. "In the Academy it's fine, it seems so far away, and you don't really realize that in a year you might be killing people! But it's scary, and I don't know if I can… if I can…"

"Miyako!" Sayuri said sharply, grabbing her shoulders. "You can. You've trained for this."

"But I'm… weak," Miyako mumbled. "I don't like hurting people. It's why I hate my kekkei genkai."

"If you did you'd be sadist, so that's not really a bad thing. Forget what you can do with your kekkei genkai. Not wanting to hurt people doesn't make you weak. It makes you strong if you have power and don't abuse it. Understand?"

Miyako nodded weakly and gave a tiny smile. "I'm just nervous. I barely got any sleep last night. I was having a mental breakdown."

Sayuri sighed. This was Miyako's main problem. She was a worrier. She worried about everything, from grades and people to the economy and the state of her soul, and she had a bad habit of working herself into worried frenzies on different topics. She'd end up near hyperventilation if you let her get going. Sayuri had learned to pull her back before she got too far over the years.

"You'll be fine," Sayuri said confidently. "You will be a great shinobi."

"Thanks," Miyako said, slumping slightly in relief. "I needed that."

"You're welcome. Now let's get to orientation."

They started walking again.

"Ow!" Sayuri yelped as she smacked into the door frame. "Who put that there?"

"The architect?" Miyako suggested, tugging her to the side a bit so she was lined up with the door properly.

Several people were already in the room when the pair arrived, including Sasuke, who had a group of girls vying for the coveted seat next to him.

"What do people see in him?" Sayuri sighed, still rubbing her face as she sat down. "He's so cold and closed off. What's desirable about that? It'd take an act of god to get to know him well enough to have a relationship."

"I think it's mostly his looks," Miyako shrugged.

"We are, thankfully, immune." Sayuri shuddered. "I don't think I could ever lose it like that over a guy and make a fool of myself." Miyako said nothing and Sayuri glanced at her suspiciously. "We _are _immune, aren't we?"

"He's attractive," Miyako allowed. "But he scares me. He always looks like he's trying to decide whether it's worth killing you. And… his hair looks like a chicken's butt," she added, giggling slightly. Sayuri shook her head in amusement. Even that tiny insult would have Miyako tittering and blushing. She really didn't have it in her to insult someone.

"_What_ was that?"

"Did you just _insult_ Sasuke?"

"He's _beautiful!_"

"_Watch it_ Hasekura!"

"Oh, you're gonna _pay_ for that!"

Miyako was a bit louder than she meant to be, just loud enough to attract the attention of Sasuke's fan club. They suddenly appeared beside Sayuri and Miyako's table. Sasuke himself turned around, surprised by the sudden reprieve. Miyako whimpered and pressed closer to Sayuri as the fan club began angrily enumerating the many wonderful qualities of Sasuke Uchiha and how dare she insult him and she was a terrible person and who does she think she was she was probably just jealous-

"Help," Miyako whimpered.

Sayuri's help came in the form of a bone sliding out of her palm, the tip pointed and gleaming wickedly. She tossed it up and down casually.

"Leave," Sayuri ordered, turning to face the herd. "You're worrying Miyako."

"She insulted Sasuke!"

"Yes, yes, and naturally she deserves to be lynched for that," Sayuri sighed impatiently. "We get it."

The fangirls wandered off, grumbling under their breath.

"Thinks she's so cool."

"Bitch."

"Creepy bone girl."

"Thank you," Miyako said, head falling forwards into the desk as she fell forwards in relief. The metal plate made a loud sound against the wood. "They were so scary… My life flashed before my eyes."

"Funnily enough, I didn't see anything."

"Haha," Miyako sighed. "You shouldn't make jokes like that," she warned. "People will think it's okay for them to make jokes, and they'll be meaner."

"If they can think up a better insult than I've already heard, I will personally congratulate them," Sayuri scoffed.

"Alright everybody, settle down," Iruka said, stepping into the room. "I will be placing you into squads of three people. The teams are as follows…"

Sayuri tuned most of this out, not interested. She heard a few groans or cheers around the room as people were paired up with friends or people they disliked.

"Team 9: Sayuri Kaguya-"

Sayuri perked up in her chair. This was it.

"-Kiyomi Arita-"

Sayuri's eyes narrowed slightly behind her mask. Kiyomi Arita. She knew that name. Kiyomi was the girl who had called her stupid and a freak during her infamous meltdown years ago. And now she was now the same team as her? This didn't bode well…

"-and Miyako Hasekura!"

"We're together!" Miyako said in delight. "This must be what Ayano was talking about!"

"I'm glad," Sayuri said, sighing in relief. She wasn't sure if she and Kiyomi would have gotten along. Who knew, Kiyomi might not be that bad? They didn't speak outside of group projects they were assigned together. She was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, even if they didn't get along, she had Miyako.

"Those are all of the squads," Iruka finished up.

"Why does a great ninja like me have to be with a slug like Sasuke?" Naruto demanded, standing up and pointing over a glaring Sakura's head to Sasuke.

"Sasuke had the best scores of the graduates. Naruto, you had the worst scores," Iruka said pointedly. "This way, there's a balance of abilities on the team."

"Just don't get in my way, loser," Sasuke murmured.

"_What did you say?"_

"Hard of hearing?"

"Knock it off Naruto, and sit down!" Sakura said hotly.

"You'll meet your new jonin teachers after lunch," Iruka said, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "Until then, class dismissed."

"Should we eat with Kiyomi?" Miyako suggested. "We should get to know each other, right?"

Sayuri nodded, following Miyako over to the other side of the classroom where Kiyomi sat.

"You guys wanna eat lunch together?" she guessed when they walked up. She grinned crookedly. "Guess I can do that." She picked up her lunch and headed towards the door, gesturing with a hand.

"She's… confident," Miyako murmured as she and Sayuri followed the other girl.

Kiyomi Arita was widely acknowledged as one of the prettiest girls in their class, after Ino and Sakura. She had white hair that fell in feathered layers around her face and big blue eyes. These were brought out by the blue tank top she wore over her mesh shirt. She wore knee-length black pants tightened to her skin at the bottom with white ribbon.

The problem with Kiyomi was that she had no social filter and was very bad at choosing tactful ways of phrasing things. Whatever was in her mind came out and it was sometimes a less than friendly comment. She frequently insulted people inadvertently while trying to state a fact about them or critique their work.

This stood in sharp contrast to Miyako, who was painfully shy when she was around new people. She despised confrontation and hurting people, which made her an odd choice for a shinobi. However, her family had been shinobi for years, so she was as well. The Hasekura's symbol, a red dragon, was coiled around the upper arm of her black shirt. They were a very old Konoha clan and commanded a large amount of respect despite their small numbers.

"Here works, right?" Kiyomi asked, settling in the shade of one of the trees outside. "I like eating here."

"Sure," Miyako said, sitting down with her lunch. Sayuri sat next to her silently.

"So, should we get to know each other?" Kiyomi asked.

"I suppose so," Miyako said uncertainly, looking to Sayuri for any better ideas.

"Cool! I'll start!" Kiyomi cleared her throat. "So, my family are potters, and I hate it, so that's why I wanted to be a ninja. My favorite color is blue and my favorite food is rice balls, any kind. My specialty is taijutsu, and I sing in my spare time. People say I'm pretty good. Who's next? How about you, Miyako?"

Miyako went bright red at being put on the spot. "Oh, well, uh, I'm…. well…"

"I'll go," Sayuri said, cutting her off and giving her a chance to collect her thoughts. Miyako gave her a grateful look. "My specialty is taijutsu as well, although I usually use my bone knives. My favorite color is the color of my eyes." That bit always got her strange looks, but it was only because Kimimaro had once remarked that their eyes were the same color, and she enjoyed that small connection to her. "I love ice cream. In my spare time, I clean, carve, and cook."

"Uh, well my specialty is genjutsu," Miyako said, her words considerably stronger now that she'd gotten herself together. "My favorite color is, uh, red, and I really like umeboshi. I'm pretty good at genjutsu and in my spare time I like to… I don't really have hobbies," she admitted. "I mostly just read."

"That's boring," Kiyomi huffed. "Seriously, you don't do anything _fun?"_

"I hang out with Sayuri sometimes?" Miyako suggested. Kiyomi opened her mouth to say something and Sayuri cut her off, wary of where this might be going.

"I have something for you," she said.

"Oh, wow, seriously?" Kiyomi asked, turning to face her. "Sweet!"

"Here." Sayuri reached back into her equipment pouch and pulled out the hair pins, passing one pair to Miyako and giving the other to Kiyomi.

"They're like yours," Miyako said delightedly, pointing to the hair pins holding Sayuri's hair into a messy bun.

"What are these made of?" Kiyomi asked blankly.

"Bone," Sayuri answered calmly. She missed the grossed out face Kiyomi made but Miyako saw it. She knew Sayuri's kekkei genkai wasn't exactly the nicest of abilities to have. It turned a lot of people's stomachs. But there was no reason to make a face like that. No matter what they were made of, the hair pins were beautifully carved with long, trailing vines of flowers. They were very elegant, but not too dressy, just a classy touch to something every day. Miyako was happy to receive them and quickly pulled her hair up and put them in.

"Thanks!" she said happily.

"Thanks," Kiyomi repeated, sliding the hair pins into her equipment pouch and trying to subtly wipe her hands on her pants.

"Who do you think our teacher will be?" Miyako wondered.

"I don't even know who the options are," Kiyomi shrugged. "Who cares? It is what it is."

"Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Ayano are all taking on teams this time around," Sayuri recalled. "Ayano and Satoru were talking about it the other night."

"Whoa, you know Ayano Soma?" Kiyomi asked, sitting up sharply. "She's like my idol! That lightning technique she does is _so_ awesome! I'd _kill_ to learn from her!"

"She was on a genin team with my guardian, Satoru," Sayuri explained.

"Never heard of him," Kiyomi said, waving that off. "So, what's Ayano like? Is she awesome?"

"She's… energetic," Sayuri said slowly. "She likes teasing people, and she's almost impossible to annoy."

"Sounds like we'd get along," Kiyomi chuckled, leaning back casually against the tree.

"Perhaps," Sayuri agreed, though she wasn't sure.

"Lunch is almost over. Should we go back to the classroom and find our teacher?" Miyako suggested.

"Yeah, let's go!" Kiyomi said energetically, jumping up and pulling Miyako up. Sayuri climbed to her feet and they made their way back inside to the classroom. Several people were already back, a few jonin gathered at the front of the room talking. Ayano was there, smirking at Asuma and holding his carton of cigarettes teasingly out of reach.

When all of the students were back, the jonin began stepping up and claiming their teams in order. Kurenai took off with Team 8 and then Sayuri and her team perked up, knowing they were next. Or, at least, hoping. Naruto's team number 7, hadn't been called, as their instructor wasn't there yet.

Ayano stepped up, beaming. Her eyes locked on Sayuri and Sayuri smiled back.

"I'm looking for Team 9. Where are you guys at?"

"Ayano," Sayuri sighed, shaking her head as she stood with her team and trooped down. "Why couldn't you have just told me this the other night?"

"This is so cool!" Kiyomi whisper-squealed, squeezing Miyako's hand. Miyako grinned weakly.

"Yeah... Cool..."

Miyako was worried. Ayano was one of the most well-known Leaf kunoichi alive. A lot would be expected from her students. They would be expected to grow up and be just as good. Miyako felt herself to be an average kunoichi. She wasn't sure she could ever live up to that expectation. Still, in a way this was better than getting someone else. Miyako already knew Ayano fairly well through Sayuri, and Ayano knew she wasn't an amazing shinobi, so maybe she wouldn't expect too much?

"Alright ladies," Ayano said, planting her hands on her hips and grinning at them. "Let's go!"

She turned on her heel and started out the door, the three kunoichi on her trail. She led them to the rood of the Academy and reclined against the railing.

"Alright," she said, looking at the girls. "Rules say we've got to get acquainted before we go rushing off doing things. So, say your name, something you like, something you dislike, and a hobby. And if anyone asks, yes, I totally stole this method from Kakashi. I'll start." She cleared her throat and recited, "My name is Ayano Soma. I like sparring and I dislike overconfident opponents. As for a hobby…" she shrugged. "What I do on my off time's my business, kiddies." She snickered. "Who's next?"

"I'm Kiyomi Arita!" Kiyomi jumped in immediately. "I like sparring too, my hobby is singing and I really hate pottery," she said viciously.

"What'd the pots do to tick you off?" Ayano scoffed. "Alright Miyako, you're up."

"You already know me though," Miyako pointed out. Ayano shrugged.

"Rules are rules. Hokage wants us to take at least a couple minutes and bond or some other touchy-feely thing. I figured this was better than trust falls or something equally lame."

"My name is Sayuri Kaguya. I like ice cream, I dislike it when people move things, and my hobby is carving, which you already know," Sayuri said, giving Ayano a stern look that lost some of its potency seeing as her eyes were covered.

Ayano laughed. "I can _feel_ that look Sayuri. Don't make me sic Satoru on you," she teased.

Kiyomi gave Sayuri a jealous look. "You are so lucky to get to hang out with her," she said enviously.

Sayuri sighed, recalling Ayano's boundless energy. Yes, she adored Ayano, but there were times when she was a bit much even for Sayuri's patience. "Sometimes I wonder," she said ruefully.

"I'm Miyako Hasekura," Miyako said, rushing through her words. "I like books and I dislike being put on the spot and my hobby is reading." She let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, wasn't that enlightening?" Ayano said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. "Alrighty, who wants to go on a mission?"

"Already?" Miyako screeched in shock.

"Alright!" Kiyomi cheered.

"Breathe Miyako," Ayano chuckled. "I'm not throwing you headfirst to the missing-nin. We're weeding a garden."


	7. Opposites

**As for the song… eh, it came on when I hit that point so I went with it. The song is Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan. It's one of those mindless dance songs, but I kinda like it.**

* * *

**Truth: ****Sometimes opposites _do_ attract.**

"What kind of mission is this?" Kiyomi complained. "Weeding a garden? Seriously? We're shinobi, not landscapers!"

"Everybody starts out on the bottom," Sayuri said with a shrug. She reached up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It wasn't a particularly arduous job, but the sun was blazing overhead and making it hotter. "We have to walk before we can run."

"You sound like a fortune cookie," Kiyomi grumbled. Miyako let out a small giggle and Sayuri smiled slightly.

"I suppose I did a bit."

Kiyomi sent a dirty look to the woman whose garden they were tending to. She sat in the shade of the porch, drinking cold lemonade and chatting with Ayano. "Why can't she weed her own garden?" Kiyomi grunted under her breath as she viciously tugged out a weed.

"I think she has back troubles," Miyako guessed. "Look at the way she's holding herself."

"Oh yes, I see it," Sayuri said absently. Miyako gave her a stern look.

"Sayuri…" she sighed. "I mean that her back is very straight even when she leans forwards or reaches for something. I think she's wearing a back brace. I bet it's hard for her to bend over for very long."

"I can't get this one!" Kiyomi cried as she sat back on her heels, glaring at the weed. Sayuri's questing hand reached over. She touched a leaf and followed it to where the plant met the ground, wrapped both of her hands around it, and tugged. For a moment it looked like the plant would win, but then it suddenly gave way and Sayuri went flying back in a spray of dirt. She lay on the grass, blinking in surprise.

"Are you alright dear?" called the woman they were working for worriedly.

"Fine, ma'am!" Sayuri called back, pulling herself up. Kiyomi was laughing out loud while Miyako chuckled quietly, hiding her smile behind a hand.

"Your face!" Kiyomi laughed. "When you started falling! Ah, that was funny," she said, shaking her head as she got back to work.

"You've got a little…" Miyako began picking clods of dirt out of Sayuri's hair as she brushed her clothes off.

"Well that was fun," Sayuri sighed as she got back to work.

The sun was starting to set when they finished. The garden hadn't been tended to in a while and it was more weeds than flowers. Ayano came out to survey their work and smiled.

"Well, looks pretty good. What do you think, Miss Sato?"

"Very nice," the woman praised. She handed the payment to Ayano, who quickly split it between the three girls. Split three ways, it wasn't much. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

The three girl's stomachs rumbled and they were about to say yes when Ayano laughed, "No, we'll leave you to it. Have a nice day!" She started walking off, leaving her team no choice but to follow.

"So, how was your first mission?" Ayano asked grandly as they walked back into the town proper.

"Boring," Kiyomi complained. "And pointless. How does that help us become better shinobi?"

Something flickered in Ayano's eyes. Sayuri couldn't see, but Miyako caught it and realized what the point of this was. The duty of a shinobi was to protect and aid their village. It was the protecting stuff that always made for a grand story, the aiding… well, it wasn't necessarily exciting, but it still needed to be done. Ayano wanted to pick out the complainers. Kiyomi wasn't making a good first impression, that was for sure.

"I'll see you three tomorrow," Ayano said. "We'll do something a bit different. Meet me at the Academy at seven. Well, I'm off for a drink." She winked at them. "This is when all of the jonin teachers get together and talk about the new generation. Whoever has the best team gets free drinks." She sighed. "Either Kakashi or Asuma are gonna win this year, I know it."

Kiyomi scowled in annoyance at that, but Sayuri and Miyako both knew that objectively it was true. Naruto didn't have much in the way of raw talent, but he had staggering amounts of chakra and a lot of guts. Sasuke was… awesome, there was no other word for it. Sakura was more of a thinker than a fighter, but that wasn't a bad thing.

Shikamaru was a planner, no mistake, and a dangerous one. Choji may not look very threatening, but there was a reason his dad was a respected shinobi. Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu was a serious threat and she had some of the best grades. Really, they were both formidable teams.

Even Kurenai, with an Inuzuka, a Hyuga - and the heiress no less - and an Aburame, was leading a pretty powerful team.

They were good, certainly, but they were not great like some of the people on those other teams were.

"I don't want to go home yet," Kiyomi whined. "This has been a pretty good day, I don't want it to end yet."

Miyako bit her lip. "We could all go out to dinner? We have a bit of money. We couldn't go anywhere really nice, but…"

"You're a genius!" Kiyomi praised, hugging her tightly. "I know an awesome place not far from here!" She grabbed Miyako's wrist and started tugging her off. Miyako seized Sayuri, making a chain of people.

The place Kiyomi took them looked like a hole in the wall at first, just a small place stuck between a grocery and a dry cleaner. There were tables scattered everywhere, far enough apart to be discrete. A bar ran along one wall where a trio of chunin were nursing drinks and looking tired. A few people were scattered around, reading or working to the music playing softly.

"Ow!" Sayuri yelped as she ran into the door frame when she tried to walk in. "Who put that there?" she groaned.

Miyako pulled her through the door, shaking her head. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Sayuri grumbled.

"They have the best deserts here," Kiyomi said, sitting down at a table by one wall. Miyako and Sayuri followed her lead. They plucked out the menus from a little stand by the wall and started looking over it. Miyako quietly read out several options she thought Sayuri might like. A waitress came over and they placed their orders.

"I can't _wait_ to get a shower," Kiyomi said, making a face at the dirt under her fingernails. "I feel all sweaty and gross."

"It's not so bad," Miyako assured her.

"You could be bloody as well," Sayuri put in. Kiyomi made a face.

"Suppose so. Still, what was _that?_ Weeding a _garden?"_

"Someone has to do it," Sayuri said reasonably.

"Yeah, but not us," Kiyomi scoffed. "We're shinobi. We're trained to fight and protect, not pull up plants."

"I know it doesn't seem like much, but Ayano's right, she can't just throw us into the world. We need to learn more. These little missions need to be done and we might as well do them and earn some money."

"I know," Kiyomi sighed, slumping in her seat. "But… I don't know, I just hoped once we got out of the Academy things would be more exciting. We're fully-fledged shinobi now!"

"We won't be doing things like this all day every day," Sayuri pointed out. "There will be days when we just train."

"Training with Ayano," Kiyomi said happily. "I dreamed about that as a kid. I just never thought she would start teaching genin again! I wonder why she started again?"

"I bet it was Sayuri," Miyako theorized.

"Miyako," Sayuri said, shifting uncomfortably. "I really doubt she came out of retirement purely to teach me. She's been giving me tips for years."

"Think about it though," Miyako suggested. "Maybe she did it as a favor to Satoru?"

"Satoru doesn't ask for favors like that," Sayuri said, shaking her head. "And he certainly doesn't ask_ Ayano_ for favors like that. He'd be too nervous."

"They're so cute," Miyako sighed dreamily.

"Wait, wait, is Ayano _with_ this Satoru?" Kiyomi asked blankly. "Like _together?_"

"No," Sayuri admitted. "But they both like each other. It's very clear. They just haven't done anything about it."

"And they've known each other since they were genin?" Kiyomi said, a giggle escaping. "That's so sweet! How long have they liked each other?"

Sayuri smiled slightly. Bonding over their teacher's love life. Who'd have thought?

"I don't know exactly," Sayuri said. "But I think Satoru's liked her longer."

"He gets this puppy dog expression on his face when he thinks she's not looking," Miyako smiled. "I wish someday some guy would look at me like that. It's adorable."

"Oh!" Kiyomi said, perking up suddenly as a new song came on. "I like this song!"

_You make me this, bring me up, bring me down, plays it sweet. Make me move like a freak, Mr. Saxobeat. Makes me this, brings me up, brings me down, plays it sweet. Makes me move like a freak, Mr. Saxobeat._

Kiyomi started singing along, dancing in place in her chair. She hadn't been lying, she had a nice voice.

"I know this song too," Miyako admitted softly, blushing slightly.

"Then sing along!" Kiyomi encouraged. "What's the problem?"

_Hey, sexy boy, set me free, don't be so shy, play with me. My dirty boy, can't you see that you belong next to me?_

"It's a little… bold," she said shyly.

"So?" Kiyomi snorted. "Be bold right back!"

Miyako started singing softly as well and Kiyomi sang louder.

"Come on Sayuri!" Kiyomi invited.

Sayuri had never in her life sang along with a song, let alone in public. People were already looking at Kiyomi in surprise and Miyako was quietly singing along, her face beat red, sending terrified glances around the restaurant.

"You are shameless," Sayuri concluded. Kiyomi shrugged in response and got louder. Her confidence made Miyako's voice a bit stronger and Sayuri shook her head and joined in. She hadn't heard it before, but the lyrics were simple and repetitive. By the last line, they were all singing along.

_Makes me move like a freak. You make me this, bring me up, bring me down, Saxobeat. You make me this, bring me up, bring me down, Saxobeat._

A few people around the restaurant jokingly clapped as their meals were brought out, and one of the chunin at the bar raised his glass to them and drunkenly cried, "Encore!"

The three girls dissolved into giggles before digging into their food, casually conversing about everything and anything they thought of from the latest gossip to making up stories about the other patrons.

Sayuri was surprised at how well this was working. She'd assumed her stand-offishness and Miyako's shyness would make getting to know people, particularly someone as big as Kiyomi, difficult. This was actually going well though. Kiyomi was there to draw both of them out and they were there to pull her back if she got too wild.

The truth was, sometimes opposites _do_ attract.

* * *

"Alright, who's ready for another mission?" Ayano called as they all met up outside of the Academy. She held up some microphones and headsets on one finger and bobbed her eyebrows.

"Awesome!" Kiyomi cheered. "This has to be better than weeding gardens!"

"Uh huh!" Ayano said happily. "This time, we're tracking down a cat."

Kiyomi's smile slid off. "Are you serious?"

"Uh huh," Ayano grinned. "Tora's escaped again."

"Tora?" Miyako said blankly.

"Tora belongs to Madam Shijimi, the wife of the Fire Daimyo," Ayano exclaimed. "It's a rite of passage. Every genin team has had to track down that cat at one point or another."

"Does she just not watch her cat?" Kiyomi asked blankly.

"Ah, no," Ayano winced. "You'll see when we return her to her owner. Come on, I know where she likes to hide."

They ended up in a forest. Sayuri's sensing made the task much easier than anticipated, as she was able to find the cat quickly. They all moved into place around the feline.

"Ready?" Ayano whispered into her microphone.

"In position."

"Ready."

"You bet."

"Alright. On my count. Three… two… one… Go!"

Miyako burst out of the foliage, startling the cat from its perch on a tree limb. It leapt to the ground with a yowl and started for the brush. Sayuri swung her arm and cried, "Digital Shrapnel!"

The bones of her fingers shot out and drilled into the ground in front of the cat. It howled and abruptly reversed, right into Kiyomi's waiting arms. She scooped the cat up, beaming.

"I got i- Oh my god! Stop! Ow! Why is it doing that?" she screamed as Tora sank her claws into whatever bit of skin was closest. Sayuri jumped out of her perch in the tree and seized Tora by the scruff of her neck. The bow-wearing cat hung limply in her grip, resigned.

"Well, that was relatively painless!" Ayano said brightly, stepping out of the brush.

"Speak for yourself," Kiyomi growled, glaring at the cat scruffed in Sayuri's grip.

"Should you hold it like that?" Miyako asked hesitantly, looking at the cat.

"It's how their mothers carry them," Sayuri shrugged. "She should be fine. Besides, I'm not bringing her anywhere near my torso."

"Come on, let's return her," Ayano said. She ruffled the cat's ears. "Pick better hiding places, my friend," she advised.

* * *

They did indeed see why Tora kept running away. Her owner apparently repeatedly attempted to strangle to feline in the name of love, disguised as 'cuddles.' The three genin stared after Madam Shijimi as she left, clutching Tora to her.

"You know, now I almost feel sorry for that cat," Kiyomi admitted.

"That didn't take as long as expected," Ayano said, stretching casually. "How about we head over to the training field and do a little bit of work?"

"Yes!" Kiyomi cheered. "That would be awesome!"

Ayano took them to an empty training field and her team assembled in a line in front of her.

"Alright, hands up. Who here specializes in ninjutsu?" she asked. No hands went up. Ayano frowned.

"Genjutsu?"

Miyako raised her hand hesitantly. Ayano grinned.

"Alright, genjutsu! Never was any good at it myself," she admitted. "So, your best jutsu. Right now, lay it on me."

Miyako paled. "Are you _serious?_ You want me to _attack _you?" she squeaked.

"Attack is a strong word," Ayano reasoned. "You're a genin, chances are the most you've learned is how to distort the real world around me. So, come on. Try it."

Miyako took a deep breath and brought her hands together, flicking through hand signs. Ayano blinked as the genjutsu set.

"Release," Ayano said casually, brushing the illusion aside. "Basic, but well done," she praised. "A pretty good execution, but in the future don't try to use it head on. Genjutsu works best when someone doesn't even know it's been used."

Miyako flushed in pleasure and nodded. "I'll remember that."

"And I hear you've got the Hasekura kekkei genkai," Ayano said with a grin. "What's it called again?"

Miyako paled in fear. "S-Saiketsu."

"Alright, let's see it," Ayano said, gesturing. "Some kind of healing thing, right?"

"Y-Yes, b-but-"

In no time Ayano had slashed a small cut on her palm and held it out.

"I know it's not much but at least we can see what you can do," she said with a grin. Miyako shivered as she looked at the cut.

"I-I c-can't-"

"Miyako's not good with the healing aspect of Saiketsu," Sayuri said softly.

It was a great shame for Miyako within her family. The Hasekura's were healers, first and foremost. The clan was small but powerful, and most of their members were med-nin or regular doctors. Their kekkei genkai, Saiketsu, manipulated blood. They used it to stop bleeding and encourage healing. Having a Hasekura on your team was pretty much a guarantee wounds weren't a big deal and blood loss wasn't an issue.

However, the blood didn't have to be outside of someone's body. All it took was a brush of skin to insert chakra into the bloodstream and the Saiketsu could allow you to manipulate the blood inside the body. You could stop a heart, cause a stroke, kill a limb, or even rip a person apart. You could also make them your puppet. It was at this that Miyako was – to her great shame and horror – a master.

"Then what can you do?" Ayano asked in confusion.

Miyako looked like she was about to cry. She touched Ayano's hand and inserted her chakra, coaxing it through the bloodstream. Like a puppet master, she raised her hands, fingers stiff. Ayano was lifted into the air with a startled yelp. Miyako flicked her fingers and Ayano's arms and legs moved about.

Miyako quickly broke the bond and lowered her hands, face burning in shame.

"That's awesome!" Kiyomi cheered. Ayano looked vaguely startled.

"That's very impressive Miyako," Ayano encouraged, but she knew precisely why Miyako looked ill. That was invasive, it took a way a person's free will, and something like that was enough to make even her a bit nauseous, let alone someone as sensitive as Miyako. "I think I'll leave that kind of training to your clan, though. They know better than me."

Miyako looked at her, grateful Ayano wasn't going to make her practice it in front of people or, worse, _on_ people she knew.

"Alright, so you two ladies are taijutsu," Ayano reasoned, turning to Kiyomi and Sayuri and breaking the tenseness with a clap of her hands. "Kiyomi, you first. Come at, me show me what you can do."

Kiyomi wasted no time, charging in with her fists and feet. Ayano calmly blocked her strikes with her own limbs before throwing in a few attacks of her own. Kiyomi dodged and blocked them pretty well, until a knee caught her in the stomach and sent her flying. Kiyomi hurled a few kunai as she went flying, trying to keep Ayano back. Ayano just blurred, appearing behind Kiyomi and grabbing her, putting her in a headlock.

"Don't assume your opponent will come at you from the front," Ayano warned. "Keep a kunai ready at all times. Your technique is good, but you should work on your strength. There wasn't as much power as I'd like to see behind your punches."

"Alright," Kiyomi said with a wince. Ayano released her and Kiyomi fell back into her place in line.

"Alright Sayuri, you're up. I know how you roll."

A short bone sword slid from Sayuri's palm and she gripped it tightly, holding it at her side. She rushed at Ayano, who was now using the armored backs of her gloves to block the blows. Sayuri combined her blade with kicks and punches on withdraws, locking up one of Ayano's hands and then throwing a punch or kick.

Ayano took her down by tangling her stronger legs around Sayuri's, dropping her and pinning her with a foot on her sword hand.

Ayano raised an eyebrow. "You haven't been working out as much lately, have you?"

Sayuri flushed. "With graduation-"

"No excuses," Ayano said sternly. "I gave you those exercises to do, so do them. You've gotten weaker. Your movements are still as smooth and purposeful as usual though, so good job there."

"Yes ma'am," Sayuri sighed, rising as Ayano removed her foot.

"Okay ladies," Ayano said, running her hands together and sitting down on the ground. "Let's begin our day with some nice, relaxing stretches, shall we?"

Miyako quickly realized as Ayano put them through basic exercises that she was still testing them. She gave them stretches to see what kind of flexibility they each possessed. There were laps to see how fast they were and what their stamina was like. Pushups, sit ups, and crunches tested their strength.

Miyako was pleased with how well she did. As far as flexibility went, she could work on bending her limbs a bit more, but she could execute perfect backbends in seconds. She was pretty fast, but she couldn't go for as long. Stamina was really her weak point. She was fairly strong, thanks to her habit of doing pushups and sit ups in her room and then laying into a punching bag before bed every night.

Sayuri did the best. Miyako knew why. Sayuri trained hard and did about what Ayano put them through every day. Sayuri had somewhat lessened her nearly-obsessive cleaning over the years and now most of her early mornings were spent stretching. She went for a run when she came home from the Academy and before bed she had the same habit as Miyako of doing strength exercises, but she did more under the watchful eye of Satoru. She'd had to get good, fast, to keep up with his expectations.

Kiyomi seemed to struggle the most. Unlike Miyako, she was very flexible in her limbs, but she could not execute a proper backbend to save her life. She was definitely weaker than the other two physically. She held her own on the laps, indicating she spent more time on speed than strength, but she had the same problem Miyako did with stamina, burning out quickly and panting as she went.

"Alright ladies, now the real fun begins," Ayano said as she stared at the line of sweaty girls.

Ayano gave them punishing series of kata to work through and was ruthless in her critique. While she was fairly lackadaisical in her everyday life, she took fighting very seriously and made sure every move was perfect. She frequently jumped in front of them, showing them what they were doing wrong by illustrating how an opponent could get around it, giving them soft hits to sensitive areas or knocking them down.

Sayuri knew exactly why Ayano was like this too. She'd noticed it during her first year with Satoru. Ayano came over one day and just sat silently at the table, drinking tea with Satoru. She didn't say a word beyond 'hi' and 'thanks for the tea' and Satoru respected that silence. He just sat there and held her hand while she sipped her drink.

Once she was gone, Sayuri had asked Satoru why Ayano seemed so down. He'd very sadly explained to her that it was the anniversary of what she considered her greatest failure. He told her about the last genin team Ayano trained. They went out on a C-rank mission and were attacked by a group of Mist-nin. Her entire team was killed under her watch, and Ayano was the only survivor. She blamed herself for their deaths and was always down when the anniversary came down.

It was why she'd stopped teaching genin teams. Ayano didn't want the responsibility of genin lives on her hand. Some from every class invariably died and she didn't want that on her conscience.

"She goes to the KIA stone today every year and puts flowers there," Satoru explained.

Kiyomi might complain about getting lame missions, and even Sayuri and Miyako were starting to get annoyed, but at least Sayuri knew why. Ayano was trying to protect them. She wasn't letting them out of the village until she was confident that they weren't going to get in over themselves and get themselves killed. Maybe she was paranoid, but it was to their advantage, so Sayuri refused to let herself complain, no matter how tempting it became as the months dragged on with little quests.

They all were getting stronger, and at a staggering rate. Part of this was because Ayano didn't accept giving up and made them keep going until they got something, which included keeping Miyako at the training field for three solid days until she got a new, higher-level genjutsu down pat. If they so much as muttered anything along the lines of 'it's too hard' or 'I can't do it' Ayano was there with a quick smack to the back of the skull and a very loud 'lecture.'

"If I'd given up when everyone told me I was never going to be any good at ninjutsu, where would I be, huh? I'd just be good for kicking things, and where's the fun in that? Now I can use lightning, and I can use it in a way no one else can! Yeah, it was hard, and there were times I thought maybe I couldn't do it, but I kept my mouth shut and I kept pushing and now I'm one of our best-known kunoichi and I have people begging me to teach them my technique! So I don't want to hear you ever say that you can't do something, because that's just stupid and weak. If you give up, then of course you can't! When I was your age-"

It would continue in this vein for a while, Ayano impressing them all with her lung capacity and the strength of her vocal cords, before she finally wound down and set them to their task again, this time watching closely with a stern look on her face.

Ayano made up different training plans for each of them, working to their strengths. Like she'd said when they first came to the training grounds, Ayano was no good at genjutsu. In fact, she was also well known for how _bad_ she was at it. Mostly she gave Miyako books to read on techniques and asked Kurenai how to train her. Miyako was a better distance fighter. She was quite accurate with her throws, so Ayano also gave her several long-range ninjutsu to learn, teaching her how to refine them. Miyako showed herself to be quite proficient with wind-based attacks, even using them to speed up and conceal her thrown weapons.

Kiyomi and Sayuri benefitted from both being taijutsu types, like Ayano. Sayuri's kekkei genkai gave her the advantage in their fights though. She was capable of growing a membrane of bone under her skin, so even swipes and stabs with a kunai just meant cuts, no deep wounds. Ayano made her work diligently on her kekkei genkai, developing it, as well as teaching her new taijutsu and kenjutsu moves. She had proven herself to be completely incapable with genjutsu. Ayano gave her a few ninjutsu techniques to study, but she was undoubtedly better suited for taijutsu.

Kiyomi showed equal skill for taijutsu and ninjutsu. Ayano worked with her especially on the ninjutsu, leaving her taijutsu training mostly down to spars with Sayuri. That way, their team would have an expert in each of the three disciplines. Kiyomi was very good with fire-based techniques just like Sayuri and showed a surprising knack for them, considering her grades in the area hadn't exactly been stellar back in the Academy. Because of this, Ayano spent most of her time with Kiyomi, urging her to try harder.


	8. Hard Work

**Truth: You only got what you worked for.**

Kiyomi stomped the ground and threw up her hands in irritation. "This is stupid! I can't do it!" she screamed in frustration. The only reason she dared to say it was that Ayano had been called away from their training for a meeting with some other jonin and wasn't there to deliver one of her lectures. "Ayano keeps giving me all these ninjutsu to learn and then just watching me like a hawk! It's too much pressure! And then every tiny screw up I make she jumps on!"

Miyako and Sayuri glanced at each other. They knew precisely why Ayano was always watching Kiyomi. It was because she reminded Ayano of herself as a genin. Ayano had been just like her, a taijutsu fighter until she showed a talent for ninjutsu. Her teacher jumped on it and pushed her, just as Ayano was now pushing Kiyomi, and Ayano was incredibly grateful for that. Because of that pressure, she was now as good as she was.

They both watched as Kiyomi attempted the ninjutsu once more. She flicked through the hand signs easily, but the fire only shot a few feet weakly and then crackled out of existence. Kiyomi threw up her hands and screamed once more.

"Why can't I do this?" Kiyomi demanded furiously, slamming her fist on the tree next to her. "I should be able to do this by now!"

Miyako and Sayuri exchanged glances again, silently debating who was going to handle this. Sayuri stepped up, placing a hand on Kiyomi's shoulder comfortingly.

"You'll get it," she said confidently. "It's a tough technique. Ayano's trying to challenge you and make you better. You know how she works."

"You can do it," Kiyomi said petulantly, giving her a dark look. Sayuri blinked at the hostility she felt rolling off of her teammate.

"Well, are you practicing after training on your own?" Sayuri tried.

"No. I've already worked on it during training for hours."

"Try working on it after training," Sayuri suggested. "If I'm having trouble with a technique I spend at least an hour on it that night during my personal training. I'll ask Satoru and Ayano for help and try to describe the problem I'm having with it as much as possible. Sometimes it really helps to work on it alone and have someone to ask and help guide you while you-"

"Shut_ up!_" Kiyomi snapped, shoving Sayuri's hand off and whirling on her. Sayuri blinked in surprise and drew back, holding her hand to her chest in shock. Kiyomi had never blown up like this before. She'd thought they were getting along fine lately. "Believe it or not, it gets _really_ annoying with you walking around acting like you know everything and talking down to me!" she roared.

"Guys. Please don't-" Miyako began, but she was cut off.

"I don't _talk down_ to you," Sayuri insisted, offended. She shut Miyako out of the conversation because she knew the girl couldn't handle any kind of confrontation between friends. She'd end up in tears and hating herself for not being able to fix the problem. It was best to simply lock her out. "I'm just trying to _help!"_

"Yeah? Well _knock it off_! I don't need help from _you!"_

"From _me?"_ Sayuri repeated softly, hearing the unsaid words in the air. _Blind. Freak. _Miyako whimpered slightly."I'll endeavor to keep my opinions to myself in the future," she said shortly.

"Do that," Kiyomi snapped, storming off.

"Kiyomi, come back!" Miyako begged, running a few steps after her. She looked between Sayuri and Kiyomi helplessly. "Guys, don't fight, please!"

"Leave her," Sayuri sighed. "Let her blow off some steam. Hopefully this will have blown over by training tomorrow." She rubbed her forehead wearily. "I didn't mean to talk down to her. I just wanted to help," she said softly.

"I know," Miyako said, touching her shoulder lightly. "You weren't. Kiyomi's just kind of touchy lately."

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Sayuri asked. Miyako shook her head sadly.

"I don't know what's gotten into her. She just always seems angry," Miyako sighed. "I wonder if something's… going on at home?" she said nervously.

"I doubt that," Sayuri scoffed. "I doubt Kiyomi would be able to put up with any kind of abuse."

"I guess you would know." Miyako slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide and horrified. "I'm so sorry Sayuri, I didn't mean for that to come out! I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to say that!" She put her hands over her face. "Oh, I'm a terrible friend, saying something like tha-"

"Breathe," Sayuri chuckled. Miyako took a few deep breaths. "I'm not offended Miyako. It's true." She shook her head. "What are we going to do about Kiyomi?"

"What are we going to do about Kiyomi?" Ayano repeated, appearing behind them. She looked around and crossed her arms, scowling in displeasure. "Where is she?"

"We got in a fight," Sayuri explained. "She left."

"And what was this fight about?" Ayano asked, raising an eyebrow. This was new. She'd never seen her team fight before, beyond the petty squabbles every team got into. There'd certainly never been a fight resulting in one of them getting mad and storming off.

"Nothing important," Sayuri said, covering for Kiyomi. "We're just tired and touchy today."

Ayano's eyebrows went higher. "Yeah, because you and Miyako are totally the types to blow up when you get sleepy. Please, I know you girls better than that. Come on, spill. What happened?"

"I really was nothing," Miyako insisted. Ayano's eyes narrowed.

"I'm getting an answer. Stop covering for each other and tell me," she said warningly. She was a happy person usually, but this was her team and she wasn't letting anything tear it apart, especially while she was watching from the outside with no idea what was going on.

Miyako looked to Sayuri, who sighed. "Kiyomi was upset that she was struggling to get a technique. I tried to help and suggested she practice after training and ask around for help, like you told me to."

"Go on," Ayano nodded.

"She started shouting that Sayuri was always talking down to her and it just sort of… escalated," Miyako finished sadly.

"I see," Ayano said, narrowing her eyes. "And then she ran off?"

"Miyako tried to call her back, but she wouldn't come," Sayuri explained.

"Uh huh," Ayano nodded. "I'm not going to stand for cutting training and running off to cry because you've got some PMS going on or whatever. We're all shinobi. It's hard. That's no excuse. Training's over for today," she added to Sayuri and Miyako. "I'm going to go talk to Kiyomi."

She shot up into the trees with a blur and could be seen leaping from rooftop to rooftop in the distance.

"Do you think we should go with her?" Miyako asked worriedly.

"If she wanted us along she would have invited us," Sayuri said. She pulled her hitai-ate off and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Really, what's wrong with Kiyomi lately?"

"Should we wait a while and go talk to her?" Miyako suggested.

"To be honest," Sayuri said, a bit of irritation leaking into her voice. "I don't particularly want to see Kiyomi right now. I want to go home, take a shower, and then let out my frustrations on an innocent block of wood."

"Okay," Miyako sighed. "I just wish there was something we could do to help her," she said sadly. "I don't like all this fighting. I feel like we're coming apart," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"If Kiyomi wanted our help she would tell us what the problem was," Sayuri reasoned, putting her hands on Miyako's shoulders and rubbing comfortingly. "It'll be okay. Ayano will sort this out. We'll fix everything tomorrow during training and things will be back to normal."

"I hope you're right," Miyako said, shaking her head. "I don't think I could take it if you guys got in a fight like that again," she admitted ruefully.

"I'm sorry for talking over you earlier," Sayuri apologized as they both headed towards the town proper. "I know you don't like fights and I was trying to spare you that."

"I know," Miyako smiled slightly. "I'm kind of glad you did. But you protect me too much," she whined slightly.

"Of course I do. You're my friend," Sayuri blinked. "That's how friends work, I thought."

Miyako chuckled and hugged her. "They do. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Sayuri, true to her word, returned to the apartment she shared with Satoru and readied her comfiest pair of pajamas before stepping into the shower. She'd quickly discovered that showers could cure anything. Whenever something was weighing on her mind she'd crawl into the shower and let the scalding water pound down on her for a while, lulling her into a meditative state.

This time, it was the sudden realization that the water was leaning dangerously close to ice that made her hastily shut it off and step out. Sayuri reached for a towel but paused. She ran her hand over her body, feeling for any changes, any muscles getting softer.

With all the exercise a shinobi got from training and missions, none of them had _bad_ bodies, per say. But for kunoichi, there were a few things you wanted to try and avoid or risk being called masculine. You wanted your arms and legs toned, not bulky. Your shoulders shouldn't be too broad. The outline of abs on your stomach was fine, but a true six-pack was kind of a put-off for most guys.

There were times Sayuri wished she had larger breasts or wider hips like Ino. She didn't have to see to know all about Ino's famous assets, she just had to listen to guys talk around her. Then she would firmly remind herself that things like that were actually a disadvantage in her profession. Big breasts meant you had to tape them down as flat as possible, or they bounced around painfully, and you were more likely to have back problems. Wider hips made it more difficult to maneuver.

All in all, Sayuri was happy with how she looked. She fit most of the guidelines. Shoulders not too broad, toned limbs, and a flat stomach. There wasn't much of a dip at her waist, but that was fine. She was perfectly content with her B-cup, as it made life much easier.

Sayuri climbed into her pajamas and went to her room. From a small basket under her bed, she took her knife and a bit of wood, then thought again and pushed a bone from her arm. She wanted the challenge of a harder material. Sayuri sat herself down on the bed cross-legged and lay a little bit of plastic sheeting across her lap to catch the shavings before setting to work.

Her knife moved mindlessly, an idea of what she wanted it to look like drifting absently in the back of her mind. Mostly, she was focused on Kiyomi.

She couldn't understand what made Kiyomi lash out like she did today. Sure, tension and pressure were liable to make anyone snap, but she'd never thought Ayano was that rough on them. Strict, but fair, Satoru had once described her teaching as, and Sayuri agreed. So long as you did what she said, you were fine, but if you didn't, you would be punished. It was to your best advantage to follow her advice. She knew what she was talking about and you would get better.

That said, Sayuri knew that Kiyomi didn't do the supplementary exercises Ayano gave them, and then complained later on when Sayuri and Miyako were better than her. That had always vaguely annoyed Sayuri. It was like she was very willing to reap the reward but not willing to put in the work.

Sayuri couldn't understand that. It had been an overarching truth her whole life. You only got what you worked for. No magical talent fairy was suddenly going to suddenly swoop down and make you a wonderful painter or give you the ability to dance ballet. It took practice and dedication. Kiyomi was dedicated, sure, but it was the practice part she avoided.

"Sayuri, are you home?" Satoru asked in surprise, poking his head in the door of her room. He'd been out on a brief mission to deliver a scroll and was surprised when he came home to find the mirror in the bathroom fogged up and the sound of whittling coming from Sayuri's room.

"I thought you had training with Ayano today," Satoru said, stepping fully into the room. He looked at the bone in Sayuri's hands and the large pile of shavings in her lap and sighed. "Okay, what happened?" he asked, moving to sit beside her on the bed.

"What makes you think something happened?" Sayuri asked with forced breeziness.

"The fact that you've reduced that radius to a senbon. A _pretty_ senbon, but still," Satoru said with a small smile, examining the tiny flowers carved into the side of it.

Sayuri sighed and the pile of shavings began to move, crawling back into her skin like a swarm of insects. She shoved the senbon into her equipment pouch carelessly and stuck the knife back under her bed.

"There was a fight," she said shortly.

"A fight," Satoru said in surprise.

"Kiyomi got angry when I tried to help her get better at a technique she was struggling with. She accused me of talking down to her and I think she almost started throwing punches. Instead she just ran off. Ayano's pissed."

"Language!" Satoru said sharply. Sayuri winced.

"Sorry. I'm just annoyed," she sighed, burying her face in her hands. "I don't know what I did."

"You know, you may not have done anything," Satoru said, rubbing her back. "It's not like your team is the only part of her life. You guys have gotten closer, but there's still things about each other you don't know. Kiyomi may have been annoyed about something completely different and she just lost it. You were nearby and got the worst of it."

"I know that her father doesn't approve of her being a kunoichi," Sayuri recalled. "He wants her to stay in the family business."

"There you go," Satoru encouraged. "Maybe her dad's been on her more lately and she's just stressed. It may not have anything to do with you."

"Perhaps not," Sayuri sighed.

"See?" Satoru said with a smile. "Not a big deal. Now, I'm going to jump in the shower – provided someone hasn't used up all the hot water," he added, giving her a mock-stern look.

"I may or may not have," Sayuri admitted. Satoru sighed mournfully.

"You're lucky I like you…"

"Indeed I am."

* * *

Sayuri woke in the morning and did her exercises, doing more than usual to make up for slacking off the day before. She did some light cleaning and then got started on breakfast. Satoru was sleeping in, still a bit tired from his mission, so she left his breakfast on the table with a note telling him she was at the training field and then started off.

Miyako caught up with her about five minutes into her walk.

"I'm nervous about today," she admitted. "I don't want this to get even worse."

"It won't," Sayuri said confidently. "Ayano wouldn't allow it. I think she'd tie us up and leave us there to sort out our own problems before letting things get worse."

Miyako chuckled slightly at that. "Didn't Satoru say she tied up her students in the past?"

"He was joking." Sayuri paused, contemplating. "...I think."

They arrived at the training field a bit earlier than usual, hoping to score extra points with Ayano in case she was still annoyed. However, when they arrived, they saw Kiyomi had the same idea, and she was not alone. Sayuri threw out her hand and Miyako paused, the two of them just inside the trees, listening.

"Why are you just standing here? You could be working!" a silver-haired man was shouting at Kiyomi. "You know our deal!"

"I _know_ dad, I know!" Kiyomi said hastily. "It's just they should be here any minute and-"

"And you're slacking off and being _lazy_. If you aren't any good you won't be able to make a living with this, and then you'll be helping me in the kiln like you _should_ be. That woman who stopped by last night said you'd cut training early." He shook his head. "Abandoning your position helping your family provide for themselves…"

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life making _vases_!" Kiyomi shouted, losing her temper and gesturing violently.

"Oh? And what's wrong with that?" the man demanded defensively.

"Nothing's _wrong_ with it! It's just not for me!"

"Because you're too good to get your hands dirty," the man snorted.

"What? That's crazy! If I was too good to get my hands dirty I wouldn't have become a ninja!"

"And you _shouldn't_ have!" the man roared. "You should have _stayed_ and helped your _family!_"

He turned on his heel and stomped off, leaving Kiyomi standing in the middle of the training field, slumped and looking defeated.

"What am I going to do about him?" she groaned, covering her eyes. Miyako and Sayuri exchanged looks and stepped from the trees, moving forwards. It seems they had found the source of Kiyomi's stress. Apparently her father had indeed been on her more than usual lately about helping her family.

"I'm sorry, we didn't know," Sayuri apologized softly when they were in front of Kiyomi. She looked up at them, eyes red. Her face was still a bit angry.

"Didn't know my dad was trying to make me _stop_ being a ninja and continue the family business unless I started making _real_ money? Why would you?" Kiyomi snapped. This explained why she'd wanted to go on more difficult missions so badly. They meant extra pay. "Don't even _act_ sorry Sayuri, you don't care!"

"I _do_ care!" Sayuri retorted. "We're a team, we should stick together!"

"_Should_, not _will!_" Kiyomi snapped. "We _should_ stick together, but you wouldn't if you didn't have to. God, you're so arrogant, you think you're _better than everyone _Sayuri!"

"I do not!" Sayuri protested, rocking back on her heels.

"Yes you _do!_ You talk over Miyako all the time! She can't help it that she stutters, and you just start talking like she's not even trying to say anything!"

Sayuri's eyes went cold. Was Kiyomi assuming she knew more about Miyako that Sayuri herself did? They'd been friends for years. Kiyomi had been speaking to Miyako for only a few months. "I do that because I know Miyako struggles to get her thoughts in order sometimes, so I give her the time to decide what she wants to say. Which you'd _know_ if you paid her any attention other than to baby her. She's stronger than you think."

"You know what? _Forget_ about Miyako. You know what pisses me off more than anything?"

"Do tell, I'm _dying_ to know."

"My dad's always saying 'why aren't you as good as that Sayuri girl?' Well you know why dad?" Kiyomi shouted. "It's because her foster dad's screwing our teacher, and she's the poor blind girl. Everyone dotes on her and wants to see her be something amazing, but no one gives a damn about me! They don't care that I'll be trapped in a life I don't want if I fail. And I could be so much better than you if I just had all those opportunities you got served to you on a silver platter. Ayano always tells me what I'm doing wrong but she does nothing but praise you!"

"Leave Satoru out of this," Sayuri hissed. "Insult him one more time and you won't like the consequences."

"You're _threatening _me?" Kiyomi demanded. "You think you're so awesome, so big and bad with your kekkei genkai. Well let's see how you handle this! _Fireball Justu!"_

"Kiyomi, calm down!" Miyako cried in fear as she and Sayuri dove to the side.

"Are you insane?" Sayuri demanded, leaping to her feet. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I want to knock that smugness out of you!" Kiyomi snapped. "I was thinking I'm _done_ being second-best!"

"_Third best,"_ Sayuri spat. Anger poured through and now she was aiming to hurt. She was arrogant? She was in no way arrogant. She was proud of what she'd achieved, and there was no shame in that. She was _proud _of what she'd worked hard and accomplished. "Miyako's better than you as well."

Kiyomi howled and a bone shot from Sayuri's palm into her hand. She deflected the hail of kunai Kiyomi sent flying at her with it.

"Stop, stop!" Miyako was screaming, but now neither girl was backing down. They were too angry.

"You say I'm arrogant?" Sayuri demanded. "What about you? It's all about you, isn't it? You think you know Miyako so well and you don't! You think you're so very good at taijutsu but you still can't beat me!"

"Oh really?" Kiyomi snarled, narrowing her eyes.

_"Really."_

Kiyomi lunged and they exchanged a flurry of blows, Sayuri calmly blocking each and every punch or kick Kiyomi threw, making her angry at how effortless Sayuri made it look.

"Quit just _standing_ there!" Kiyomi screamed. "_Move!_ Do _something!_ Quit standing there all smug! _Fight me!"_

Sayuri had _worked_ so that her movements looked this effortless. She'd trained hard even after school and worked with Satoru when they were both free. She'd asked Ayano to tell her any small thing that was wrong in her movements. She'd asked her for additional exercises to do at home, and here was the difference between the two of them.

Sayuri possessed a large amount of natural talent. However, she hadn't just left well enough alone and been content to be an average shinobi. She'd worked hard with the goal of being one of the best in mind. Kiyomi, despite her desperation to avoid being trapped in the family business, had never gone the extra mile. She'd intended for her own not-inconsiderable raw talent to get her far enough, and it fell short, but even then she wasn't willing to accept extra responsibilities.

"You want me to do something?" Sayuri asked, arching an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll do something!"

The bone sword was in her hand again and suddenly Kiyomi was on the defensive, dodging and weaving frantically to avoid losing a limb as Sayuri moved her blade expertly, twisting and dipping it into complicated formations.

Miyako flew between the two of them, tapping each of them on their fingers. She stopped and raised her hands, pulling them apart. Both Kiyomi and Sayuri shouted in surprise and anger as they were tossed away from each other, and just in time.

Lightning struck the ground between the two girls. They both immediately sat up to see Ayano crouching in the center of the scorched black mark it left behind. Her expression was as serious as Sayuri had ever seen it.

"_What. Happened?"_ she snarled dangerously. Both Sayuri and Kiyomi started talking at the same time. Lightning crackled around Ayano and they immediately shut up, the hair on their arms rising in the electrified atmosphere. Ayano had never been this angry at them before.

"Miyako," Ayano said, eying the girl, who paled and began wringing her fingers. She was still shaking from using her Saiketsu on her friends, even if it was to keep them from hurting each other. She felt like she'd just betrayed them. "What happened? You tell me."

Miyako began talking, words quiet and running together, completely indistinguishable.

"I can't understand you!" Ayano shouted in frustration. Miyako whimpered and tried to get herself together.

"Sayuri and I w-were coming to train. We saw... Kiyomi f-fighting with her f-father. When h-he l-left Sayuri tried to c-comfort her. K-Kiyomi snapped at her and th-they started arguing. K-Kiyomi called S-Sayuri arrogant and insulted S-Satoru. Sa-Sayuri g-got mad about that and th-threatened her if she d-did it again. Ki-Kiyomi shot a Fireball Jutsu at her and said she was d-done being second best. Sa-Sayuri said she was third best, behind m-me. Then they started r-really fi-fighting," Miyako stammered, tears running down her cheeks. As soon as she started crying, Kiyomi and Sayuri felt guilty for dragging her into this, but they were still furious with each other.

Ayano turned on Kiyomi. "You threw the first attack?" she hissed. Kiyomi paled.

"She's always walking around like she knows everything!" Kiyomi shouted desperately, pointing at Sayuri. "I was sick of it! You always praise her, but you keep picking out everything I do wrong!"

"Because I'm your teacher!" Ayano shouted back, throwing up her hands. "It's my job to tell you want you're doing wrong so you can get better. I tell Sayuri she's doing well because she _is_. She practices by herself if she's struggling. I'm sorry you're having trouble with your family, but maybe if you put in the extra time and improved some more, I'd be able to take you guys out on the kind of mission you're wanting to go on."

Kiyomi ducked her head, cowed, tears rolling down her cheeks as her idol rebuked her.

"And you!" Ayano said, turning on Sayuri, whose eyes widened in surprise. "What were you thinking pulling out your kekkei genkai for a petty squabble? You know those bones of yours are dangerous and you were using them to prove a point? I don't care if Kiyomi insulted you own mother, you _do not_ use that against your teammates. You could have calmly deflected her attacks and let her burn herself out. Under no circumstances should you have turned on her!"

Sayuri was now lowering her face as well, tears leaking from under her hitai-ate. Her team was falling apart…

"You guys are going to work out your issues," Ayano said shortly, narrowing her eyes furiously. "And you're not leaving here until you do."


	9. Reliance

**Truth: She could rely on her team.**

"I can't believe she really did it," Kiyomi said, wide-eyed.

Miyako, Sayuri, and Kiyomi were tied to poles in the middle of the training field, arms wrapped around them and tied at the wrist. One minute Ayano was just angry and then suddenly they were tied to poles and she was grinning maliciously.

"When you've worked it all out, then you can leave," she'd said brightly, before walking off.

"I always thought Satoru was just joking," Sayuri said weakly, recalling the times he'd mentioned her tying up her team.

An awkward pause.

"I'm… sorry I insulted Satoru," Kiyomi said awkwardly. "That was… uncalled for and… really out of line."

"Apology accepted," Sayuri replied stiffly. She wasn't really comfortable with touchy-feely moments like Ayano seemed to want this to turn into. "I'm sorry I called you third-best. That was harsh."

"No it wasn't," Kiyomi sighed sadly. Her eyes were trained on the ground. "I am. I know I should work harder, and I know I need to, but whenever I start to work on my exercises I always think of something else to do and then something else. I've always been bad about procrastination." Her eyes were watering. "I was just so _angry_ about everything with my dad, and I'm sorry I jumped on you like that Sayuri. It felt like you were just shoving my face in everything I was doing wrong and it hurt to hear. I'm really sorry," she said again, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I messed everything up. This was all my fault."

"No it wasn't," Sayuri sighed. "I could have just walked away, or let you just run yourself down like Ayano said. I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me and I shouldn't have lashed out. I know better but I just got so angry…" She sighed. "When I was little, I was told every day that I was worthless, and for so long, I believed it. I thought I was weak and useless. Satoru saved me from that by bringing me here and because of that I've worked hard to show him he made the right decision. I just felt like… you were looking down on all of that and it's important to me. I lost it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Kiyomi said. She shook her head and gave a watery laugh. "We've all got issues, huh? I guess we were both just unknowingly poking in some sore spots and neither of us handled it well."

"We could definitely have handled it with less violence," Sayuri agreed with a weak laugh.

"And we both shouldn't have dragged Miyako into it," Kiyomi added, looking at the girl who'd been silent until, watching hopefully as Sayuri and Kiyomi worked it out. "That was uncalled for Miyako, and I'm sorry."

"I am too," Sayuri agreed, both of them smiling at Miyako, who beamed back happily.

"From now on, if Sayuri and I really feel the need to beat the crap out of each other, we'll leave you out of it," Kiyomi chuckled weakly.

"We'll go someplace private to pummel each other," Sayuri agreed. The three girls laughed a bit at that.

"I think it would help if we all made some resolutions here," Miyako suggested softly.

"What do you mean?" Kiyomi asked.

"Like if something's really bothering us, we tell each other. That way we know there's something wrong and we can deal with it. We won't have to bottle it up until we explode on someone for nothing."

"Thanks a good idea," Sayuri agreed. "Alright, I agree."

"Me too," Kiyomi nodded. Determination entered her face. "And from now on, I'm going to really work on that procrastination problem I have. I'm going to work hard and do what I need to do. I'm not going to let my dad run my life," she said matter-of-factly, promising herself to do better.

"That's good," Miyako praised.

"And I promise to only give advice if it's asked for," Sayuri said ruefully. "I can see how I can come off as sort of a know-it-all sometimes. I suppose I just try and help too much and end up digging my own grave."

"It's okay," Kiyomi replied. "You just told me what I needed to hear."

"Well then, I'll give unsolicited advice more often," Sayuri chuckled.

"I promise I'll never use Saiketsu on you guys again," Miyako said with surprising vehemence, guilt in her eyes. "Unless it's to heal you," she tacked on.

"It's okay, Miyako, we don't blame you," Sayuri assured her.

"Yeah, we needed someone to knock some sense into us," Kiyomi grinned.

"But… what I did… your blood…"

"Was inside a very stupid body at that point," Sayuri said. "And it needed to be stopped."

"Are we okay?" Miyako asked hopefully, taking Sayuri's words to heart as her guilt eased.

"Yeah, I think so," Kiyomi nodded. "I think we all just took things the wrong way and it sort of got out of control. I'm glad Ayano tied us to these poles and made us take a good, long look at ourselves."

"Speaking of which…." A bone slid from Sayuri's palm and cut through the ropes. She freed Kiyomi and Miyako, all of them rubbing their wrists.

"She tied them kind of tight," Miyako said, wincing slightly.

"That was scary." Kiyomi shivered, recalling Ayano's wrath. "I'm _never_ going to tick her off _ever_ again."

"Me neither," Sayuri agreed, shaking her head. "I have no desire to be electrocuted."

Miyako laughed and pulled the both of them into a hug. "I love you guys," she grinned into the three-way hug. "We're gonna be fine now, aren't we?"

"Just needed to clear the air," Kiyomi agreed.

"Yes, we are," Sayuri said. Privately though, she wasn't so sure. There were some things that couldn't be forgotten, words that couldn't be unsaid, actions that couldn't be undone. Sayuri and Kiyomi had both said and done some harsh things today and now she was worried that no matter how much they glossed over this, some residual ill feeling might still remain. She was scared a wedge had been driven between the two of them.

* * *

"Alright ladies," Ayano said, clapping her hands. Sayuri paused her stretches, Kiyomi stopped her laps, and Miyako quit doing pushups. A week had passed since the Team 9 explosion, and things were back on track. Sayuri and Kiyomi were getting along better, and keeping their promises. Kiyomi was getting better about doing the supplementary stuff Ayano gave her and Sayuri was better about not jumping in with advice every time anyone complained about something.

"Gather round!" Ayano called, and the three drifted forwards, lining up in front of their teacher. "Now, since the blow-up last week, I've been watching you guys, and I'm impressed. I think you've really gotten better. You're getting along better, and you're working harder. So… I think it's time for your first C-rank mission!" she announced grandly.

"Are you serious?" Kiyomi gaped. She threw up her hands and cheered. "Yay! This is awesome!"

"What's it going to be?" Miyako asked worriedly.

"We're guarding a man on his return to village on the outskirts of the Land of Fire."

"Why does he need protection for that?" Sayuri asked in surprise. The Land of Fire was fairly secure. Usually protection was only requested by those who were trying to get to another country or had sensitive information on their person. A regular villager who wasn't even leaving the country rarely needed help.

"His village is being attacked every fortnight by a group of raiders," Ayano explained. "He came here to request help from the Hokage in getting rid of them. He's also worried they'll try and attack him on the way back to his home for seeking help from Konohagakure. We're to protect him on the way home and guard him until the force of chunin they're sending out to handle the situation arrive. They need a day or two to mobilize."

"Raiders?" Miyako squeaked. "Do you think we're ready?"

"If I didn't think you were, I wouldn't let you go," Ayano replied honestly. "These guys aren't ninja, they're just a group of muscled-bound thugs who think they're big and bad. I'm not gonna let you three get hurt," she swore.

"When do we leave?" Kiyomi asked excitedly.

"How long is this going to take?" Sayuri added. "I'll need to tell Satoru…"

"Just leave him a note, he might not let you go if it means he'll be cooking for himself," Ayano chuckled. "You'll probably be gone about four days. Like I said, it's not far, and the chunin tend to get their act together pretty fast. We'll be meeting Yasushi, the guy we're going to guard, at the gate tomorrow at dawn. Any other questions?"

"What should we pack?" Miyako asked. Ayano chuckled.

"We won't be moving as fast as normal because of Yasushi, so I wouldn't weight yourself down with much aside from provisions. Maybe a change of clothes."

"Alright," Ayano nodded. "Go explain things to your parents and get started packing. I'd handle any things that need to be handled in the next week, just in case we have to stay longer than anticipated. Training's over for now. It's time for the big leagues, kiddies," she grinned.

"Can you believe this?" Kiyomi grinned as they headed off. "A C-rank mission, our first one! Maybe now my dad will get off my case!"

"Let's hope," Miyako grinned weakly.

"Maybe we can convince him for you," Sayuri said, a bone sliding from her palm. She tossed it and caught it casually. Kiyomi grinned.

"You have no idea how much I would love to see you put my dad in his place. Mom doesn't really care what I do but dad's made it his mission in life to screw me over," she scoffed. "Four days of freedom. Awesome. See you guys tomorrow!" She waved as she split off towards her home.

"I'm still worried," Miyako sighed. "What if we fail? What if we die?"

"Think of it like this," Sayuri suggested "Do you remember a couple weeks ago when some civilian kids were picking on that little girl."

"Yes…"

"And they looked all tough."

"Yes…"

"And you knocked them on their butts?"

"Yes…"

"Think of these raiders as grown up versions of those kids," Sayuri said. "No real training, just running around looking tough and picking on anyone they can find who's weaker than them."

"But they have weapons," Miyako pointed out. Sayuri just faced her for a moment and pointed at her kunai holster.

"And what's in there?"

"Weapons…?"

"Okay then." Sayuri shook her head as Miyako split off for her house as well. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

That night after dinner Sayuri changed into her pajamas and packed her bag while Satoru lounged on her bed, talking to her.

"Nervous?" he asked as she went through her equipment pouch. She had scrolls inside, tags, spare weapons. A few plasma pills, a needle and thread, and bandages were stored in one scroll in case things went bad. The others were empty or holding spare weapons.

"Not really," Sayuri admitted. "Not as much as I thought I would be. It's fairly straightforward and I'm confident in our abilities."

"That's good," Satoru approved. "Half the time the biggest enemy genin have is their own nerves. They get so nervous they forget all their training and blunder into things."

"I don't think we'll do that," Sayuri said, shaking her head as she checked the edges of her kunai and shuriken for sharpness and nicks. She laid her kunai holster and her equipment pouch on the table by her bed, waiting for her tomorrow, and grabbed her backpack.

"So it's just an escort? The main threat is raiders?" Satoru recalled.

"Yes. Have you fought many before?"

"Yeah," Satoru snorted. "They look big and scary but a lot of them don't have much more training than the average person. Some will stand down just at the sight of a group of shinobi. That probably won't happen, seeing as you guys are all girls and three of you are so young, but in the future, you probably won't have to worry all that much. You three will be pretty threatening."

"That's what I'm hoping," Sayuri said as she set her canteen and provisions inside on top of a spare shirt and pair of pants. There were a few herbs just in case. She threw in a coil of rope on top. Rope was a highly useful thing to have with you. That was really all she was taking, aside from the sleeping bag tied on top of her pack. She hefted it and was pleased with how light it was.

"You pack light," Satoru said in amusement.

"I've survived on less before," she shrugged. "We'll be fine, I'm sure."

"You guys will do great. Ayano will probably start letting you go out on more C-rank missions if this goes well," Satoru assured her. "Now go on, get some sleep," he said, getting off her bed. Sayuri crawled under the covers and Satoru pulled the sheets up to her chin, brushing her hair back from her face.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Satoru," Sayuri protested weakly, but she didn't really mind.

"I know," Satoru sighed. "When'd that happen?"

* * *

Yasushi was an incredibly twitchy man. He was very thin, his clothes hanging off of him loosely. His face was boney and there were dark circles under his eyes. Every time there was a noise in the brush he flinched and his eyes darted around nervously. He had been wringing his hands since they set out.

"What was that?" he asked in a nasally voice as a twig snapped.

"Sorry," Kiyomi apologized, lifting her foot off a branch. She looked at Sayuri and Miyako and grinned slightly. They covered their mouths to hide snickers. Ayano sent them stern looks.

"Yasushi, you're in good hands," Ayano said for the third time since they'd left. It was now noon.

Yasushi sniffed. "Well excuse me if I'm worried about the… Raiders!" he yelped as something shifted in the brush. A bunny hopped out into the path, twitched its nose at them, and loped across into the tall grass. Yasushi let out a relieved breath of air and once again the genin were restraining giggles.

"They wouldn't dare come this close to Konoha," Ayano said, desperation tingeing her voice as she tried to calm him down. "We're still in patrolled forests."

"But they could slip through!" Yasushi argued.

"Sir, our guards are very well-trained and they're very alert," Sayuri attempted. Yasushi sniffed.

"I still think I should have better protection."

"How so?" Ayano asked, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.

"I'm being protected by women!" he exclaimed, waving his hands around. "Three of them are kids and one's wandering around with her eyes covered."

"It wouldn't make a difference, seeing as I'm blind," Sayuri huffed. Yasushi moaned.

"A blind girl! I'm being guarded by a blind girl!"

"Sayuri," Ayano hissed warningly as bone began to slip from her palm.

"Can't I just scare him a little?" she hissed in reply.

"No. He's an ass but he's a client. Be nice."

Sayuri took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. "I'm well-trained sir, and was in the top of my class. I assure you, I'm just as capable as any other shinobi."

"I doubt it," Yasushi grumbled.

"She's gonna kill him," Miyako said worriedly.

"And you're all skinny too," Yasushi added. "No muscle at all."

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Miyako murmured.

"I could pick up and throw that little weasel!" Kiyomi growled.

They were all grateful to stop for the night. Sleep would be an end to Yasushi's complaints. The girls quickly set up camp while Ayano made a fast dinner. Yasushi ate quickly and almost immediately passed out.

"Wow, all the walking really tired him out," Kiyomi said, poking him in the side. He gave a loud snore in response. "He's a wimp."

"No he's not," Sayuri said guiltily. Ayano narrowed her eyes.

"What did you do?" she asked. Sayuri fished in her pack and held up a small pouch of tea leaves.

"That's chamomile," Miyako realized.

"You drugged him!" Ayano exclaimed incredulously. "Sayuri, you-" She paused and glanced at Yasushi, who was snoring away obliviously. "No, forget it. If he wasn't such a sexist jerk I might be angry. But as it is, I'm just glad he's quiet."

"You're my hero," Kiyomi grinned, patting Sayuri on the back as she tucked the pouch back in her bag.

"Why thank you," Sayuri smiled.

The next day was when things got touchy. They were out of Konoha territory and therefore if the raiders were going to attack, it was going to be around here. They would be at the village by late afternoon.

"You said this is where the raiders are most likely to attack?" Yasushi blabbered, looking left and right. Ayano groaned, regretting telling the girls that this morning. She'd thought he was still asleep… "Aren't you going to assume some kind of defensive formation? My life could be in danger! They could attack any minute!"

"Oh if only," Kiyomi grumbled. "If they do, can we just hand him over?"

"That's horrible," Miyako scolded, but she was restraining a smile. Sayuri grinned.

"And what are you smiling about?" Yasushi demanded. "This is dangerous! But of course kids don't understand how serious this is… Slacking off… Telling jokes… Gossiping girls…"

"Please can I hit him?" Kiyomi moaned.

"I call first," Ayano hissed back. The three girls had to actively restrain themselves from bursting out laughing as their teacher glared at Yasushi and made a rude gesture at his back.

Ayano paused suddenly and threw out a hand in front of the genin.

"And it's not as if there aren't better candidates for this job, because I saw much better choices in Konoha!" Yasushi continued ranting.

"Yasushi, shut up!" Ayano hissed.

"Excuse me?" Yasushi demanded, turning on her. "How dare you-?"

He screamed and cowered behind Ayano as a group of men burst from the bushes. Large swords glinted in the light, and there was even a man with a pair of axes in his hands. They were all tall and muscle-bound, but Ayano had been right. The three genin could pick out their weak spots already. They wore little armor and despite their scars and snarls, none of them looked like they had a particularly stable stance.

"Well well," chuckled the one in the front of the group blocking the path. He wasn't the tallest of them, but he was definitely the widest, with huge, muscular shoulders. He was clearly the leader of the group. There was a giant two-handed sword strapped across his back and he wore only a pair of pants and a pauldron over his left shoulder. "Yasushi, this is all Konoha's gonna give you? A bunch of girls? They must realize how pathetic your village is."

"My village isn't pathetic Akihiro," Yasushi squeaked, still hiding behind an annoyed Ayano. He glanced at the genin. "Tell them!" he insisted.

Sayuri shrugged. "We've never been to your village."

Akihiro threw back his head laugh. "I like her! Maybe I'll leave her alive and take her with us when leave. Would you like you that, my pretty?" he cooed at her mockingly.

"I'd rather swim in excrement," Sayuri replied, lips twisting in distaste. A couple of Akihiro's men tittered and he glared at her.

"Fine, you'll die with your little girlfriends and Yasushi," he snarled. "Come on men, let's _fight!_"

The raiders rushed them. Ayano held her ground, Yasushi whimpering behind her, and the genin fanned out. Sayuri swept her arm through the air and fired bone bullets at the first one who came at her, sending him flying back into the man behind him. He staggered as he caught his dead companion and tossed the body aside, snarling as he lunged at Sayuri.

Miyako locked one in a genjutsu, distorting his depth perception. He swiped with his sword where he thought she was only to hit nothing but air, a kunai slamming into his heart. He fell, blinking in surprise. She turned and ducked under the swing of one coming up behind her, only for Kiyomi to leap forwards and draw him away with a series of nicks across his body.

Kiyomi gulped as the man turned on her with a growl, blood dripping from a few minor wounds. "That's a really big sword…" Just as the man started preening she grinned and asked, "You compensating for something?"

He charged at her with a cry of "Bitch!" and Kiyomi ducked, dropping and sweeping his leg before popping up.

"Fireball Jutsu!"

The man screamed as he was engulfed in flame.

Ayano held her own marvelously. A few men went straight for her, seeing her as the shortest path to Yasushi. She proved that was a bad idea. The first man came at her and she leapt, kicking him in the chin with such force that his head snapped back and he dropped, neck broken.

One of his companions kicked him aside and raised his sword over his head, aiming to cleave Ayano in half. She made a series of hand signs and her entire right leg sparked with electricity. The man's eyes widened and he attempted an odd sort of half-pirouette to get away from her, but the kick caught him across the side, sweeping him into a tree. He hit with a loud thump and slid to the ground unconscious, clothes smoking.

Sayuri shrugged off her shirt, a bone membrane appearing under her skin as bone swords slid into her palms. She faced down two men, one on each side of her. She was behind Ayano. A few of the men had wised up and were trying to sneak around Ayano to get at Yasushi.

"Cute pig sticker," one of them sneered.

"That makes you the pig," Sayuri replied instantly. He growled and swung at her. Sayuri reversed her grip on the swords and raised her left arm. The man smiled, thinking he was about to slice her arm off. His eyes widened as his sword connected with her own and it held.

"What the-?"

Sayuri's other sword came in, dragging in a long diagonal from his right shoulder to left hip. She spun and elbowed him away from her. He dropped his sword, trying to hold his guts in as Sayuri engaged the other one. He'd tried to take advantage of her distraction by charging in. He clearly hadn't expected her to take out his partner so quickly. Sayuri drew back her arm and threw. The man ducked under the strike, but it thunked into the back of another bandit, dropping him. Kiyomi blinked as her opponent suddenly fell. She met Sayuri's eyes, smiled and nodded, and spun, kicking another raider in the stomach viciously.

"Now you're down a weapon," the man grunted, straightening. "What're you gonna do?"

He swiped at her chest and his eyes widened in horror when Sayuri's ribs burst out, holding the weapon at bay. He tried to disengage, but more bones caught and held the sword.

"This," Sayuri said, sweeping her blade across and slitting his throat. She winced in distaste as blood sprayed on her.

Miyako was on own. As soon as she'd dropped the first two she'd scampered up a tree and was now making use of her seemingly endless arsenal of senbon, pricking men across the battlefield and distracting them long enough for others to finish them off. A few of the bodies looked vaguely like porcupines, with silver needles glinting from all over them.

She saw one man coming towards Sayuri and started on him, hurling a rain of senbon across his back. The problem was that this was one of the few with armor on. Granted it was only boiled leather and not plate, but the senbon didn't go far enough through to do more than scratch him. Miyako knew a single shout would get Sayuri's attention, but she was wary of giving her position away.

Kiyom's eye was caught by the glint of silver and she saw a man with a couple senbon sticking out of the back of his armor advancing on Sayuri, who was locked with another raider, her back to him. She saw Miyako in a tree across the way, frantically hurling weapons at him, but he refused to go down.

"Fireball Jutsu!"

The man howled as he was set ablaze and Sayuri realized she was in danger. She spun and dropped him, disengaging with her opponent just long enough to hurl a kunai into his throat before locking her blade with him again. She smiled slightly. It was true, she could rely on her team.

It was a short battle. The raiders may have come with twenty men, but as soon as they'd seen their opponents were little girls, they'd dropped their guard. That was their mistake. The three genin took no prisoners, slicing through anyone who came at them. Ayano didn't have a lot of trouble. As soon as the raiders realized she was the strongest, the immediately began going for the weaker targets, the young girls, who ruthlessly taught the bandits not to underestimate them.

"Well that was fun," Kiyomi said, grunting in distaste as she nudged a corpse out of her way. "Do we just leave them here?"

"That seems a bit rude to future travelers," Sayuri commented, letting her bone swords crumble. There were a few stuck in chests of corpses and there was no way she was leaving them for others to use. She nodded to Kiyomi. "Thanks for that Fireball Jutsu."

"Thanks for taking out that other guy," Kiyomi said as she collected some of her kunai. Miyako dropped from the ground and started tugging senbon out of bodies, wiping them on her pants and putting them back in place.

"We'll shove them off into the brush," Ayano said, grunting as she heaved one up and tossed him carelessly into the foliage surrounding the path. "That way they won't block anyone's path."

It was messy work, and they were all pretty bloody when they were done, but at least anyone who came through later on wouldn't have to stare at dead bodies.

"Where's Yasushi?" Kiyomi asked, suddenly looking up. She paled. "Oh, please tell me one of them didn't run off with them."

"He's fine," Ayano said, staring down at the only body still lying in the road. It was Yasushi. She poked him with one foot. "The little wimp passed out the second I kicked the first one."

"You did snap his neck," Sayuri pointed out.

"Details," Ayano said, waving her hand dismissively.

* * *

**I posted a new poll on my profile, please go check it out and vote guys!**

**Come on guys, over 3 thousand hits and 36 reviews? I don't like doing this, but I really want to know what you guys are liking or disliking about the story. I've tried to keep this on a weekly schedule, but I'm not going to post the next chapter until at least 45 reviews. I want to know if you like it! If no one does there's no point in me continuing to work on this! **


	10. Caring

**Hey guys! So uh, funny story. When I updated I accidentally clicked the wrong document. The little author's note thing that appeared was for my story Angel of Death. Yes, I fully intend to keep this going, and I have the next chapter typed up. Coincidentally the bit about being busy is true. With finals coming up I'll be updating biweekly instead of weekly for a bit, unless the stars align and I actually have free time.**

**Anyway, here's the real update!**

* * *

**Truth: They all cared about each other.**

The village was understandably wary of them when they walked in covered in blood with Ayano carrying Yasushi over her shoulders. She quickly explained what had happened, saving Yasushi's dignity by saying he got knocked out. He woke up sometime during the explanation, smoothing everything over for them.

"Why didn't you tell them he fainted?" Kiyomi complained under her breath. Ayano sighed.

"I don't know, I'm a sap?"

The village was very glad to have them, especially seeing as they had already put a dent in the raiders. There was an old woman who'd offered to put them up for their visit. They were escorted to her home and shown their room. There were a few bruises and cuts to tend to, the worst being a thin cut along Sayuri's shoulders that stopped bleeding within minutes.

Surprisingly, they were not just left alone to lick their wounds. No, villagers kept showing up and bringing them food for dinner and meals the next day. The old woman very happily took all the food, because it meant she didn't have to cook for her guests.

"They weren't that tough, I don't know why everyone's so happy to see us," Miyako admitted as the seemingly last well-wisher left, leaving a casserole in her wake. "It wasn't that hard of a fight."

"I know," Kiyomi said thoughtfully. "It didn't seem to take that long, really."

"And Ayano took out most of them," Sayuri recalled.

Ayano's snort from the corner where she'd laid out her sleeping bag caught their attention.

"What?" Kiyomi asked blankly.

"Guys, those raiders have been kicking this village's butt for months. The only reason they've gotten away with it is because no one's stood up to them. They weren't particularly hard to fight, definitely not as bad as it would be if we were up against shinobi. But you girls are good. You're thirteen, and you just took out about four men twice your age each. Be proud," Ayano encouraged.

"She's right," Kiyomi said proudly. "We totally kicked their butts!"

"To Team 9!" Miyako cheered.

"Team 9!" Sayuri joined.

"Team 9!" Kiyomi chimed in. The three girls laughed.

"I'm glad they're finally gone though," Kiyomi said as she started stripping. The old woman had set up four tubs full of hot water along one wall of their room. "I'm so ready for a bath."

They were all bloody and dirty, and baths had been put off by politeness and protecting the village's reputation. They had to thank everyone who came and assure them that Konoha was glad to help. By the time they were free, the blood had dried and stiffened their clothes. All in all, they just felt gross.

"Heaven," Sayuri sighed as she slid into her bath. She ducked her head under the water and came up, swiping her hair out of her face and moaning in delight. The others climbed into their own tubs and started scrubbing. The water around them turned red and brown with dirt and as soon as they were clean they climbed out, changing into their spare clothes. They used the water to scrub the blood and dirt out of their clothes as best they could and Ayano took them out to hang on the clothes line. Hopefully they'd be dry by tomorrow and they could have relatively clean clothes every day.

* * *

The next morning they woke and ate breakfast with the old lady, whose name was Kaede.

"We are glad that you have stayed," the woman said as she poured them tea. "It would be dangerous for us now, especially after you killed Akihiro."

"Akihiro?" Kiyomi said blankly.

"He was the lieutenant of the band," the old woman said knowledgeably. "His older brother Ichiro is in charge of it."

Ayano groaned. "Awesome. So we killed the worst person possible."

Kaede shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Hey, you did it," Kiyomi said, pointing at Ayano, who sighed.

"Well, I didn't _know._"

"If she didn't I would have," Sayuri said honestly.

Ayano shook her head. "Alright ladies, no slacking off. We'll be training while we're here." That triggered groans all around.

"We just had our first real fight yesterday!" Kiyomi protested.

"Yeah, and your second real one might be coming up soon," Ayano countered.

"Can we at least finish breakfast first?" Miyako asked, gesturing to her only half-eaten plate.

Ayano held up her own plate. "Do I look done? Yeah, keep eating and I'll tell you what we're doing."

They were walking on water. Simple in theory. In practice, not so much. It was very similar to the tree-climbing exercise Satoru had put Sayuri through in the early days and Ayano had them do it too. This was an advance on that. The water rocked and moved under them, and was a liquid, so it became trickier to keep their chakra steady.

"You're sure this is possible," Kiyomi asked, looking at the lazy water of the river that wound through the village. Downstream a few housewives were chatting on the bank while their children frolicked in the water. In response, Ayano stepped out onto the water, strolling casually along the top of it.

"Okay, I so want to do that," Kiyomi said enviously.

"Try it," Ayano invited. "I gave you the theory over breakfast. Let's see what you can do before lunch."

'What they could do' right off the bat was revealed to be 'sink.' They each stepped off the bank and their feet slid right through the surface.

Miyako was the one with the best chakra control out of all of them. She was the first to get a foot stable, followed by Sayuri and Kiyomi. Sayuri's odd way of walking, putting down first her toe and then her heel, proved to be an advantage here. As soon as she stabilized one foot, she set down the toe of her other foot and did it in halves. Kiyomi was pretty good, as she had the best balance. She had fewer instances of losing her balance, followed by her concentration, and then splashing into the water.

By lunch, they were all soaked, and they stretched out on the bank to dry off a little and eat the meal Kaede had packed for them, talking about some of the most dramatic falls of the day.

"And you looked like a pinwheel!" Kiyomi giggled as Miyako blushed.

"I was trying to keep my balance," she explained.

"I think the best was when Sayuri _yelped._ I didn't even know you could _make_ that noise," Kiyomi chuckled.

"What about your fall? You just suddenly dropped," Sayuri countered.

"My failure was _stealthy_," Kiyomi grinned mischievously.

"You all looked completely hilarious," Ayano chuckled.

Even she was wet. At one point all three of them had lost their balance and gone under within seconds of each other. While under the water, Kiyomi had gestured to Ayano, standing easily on the water a short distance away. Miyako and Sayuri couldn't resist. They'd reached up and yanked Ayano down into the water with them. She'd thought it was a great joke and congratulated them on getting her as they all surfaced.

"Hey," said a small voice. They all looked up. The children who had been playing downstream were now standing by them, their mothers a short distance away. "'re you the ninja ladies?" asked a young boy with both of his front teeth missing. Behind him, a girl with her black hair in pigtails and a slightly chunky boy were looking on eagerly.

"Female ninja are called kunoichi," Sayuri corrected out of habit.

"K'nochi?" the boy repeated, stumbling over the word and his lack of teeth.

"Close enough," Miyako chuckled.

"What're ya doin' on the water?" asked the boy.

"We're learning to walk on it," Kiyomi explained.

"You can do that?" asked one of the mothers in surprise. Ayano nodded. "I see," she said faintly.

"Improves chakra control," Ayano said with a shrug.

"Could you teach us?" the girl asked hopefully.

"Sorry, we can't," Miyako apologized. The children were far too young and didn't have anywhere near the chakra or control needed to have a prayer of succeeding. Their faces fell and Miyako winced.

"It's a super-secret ninja thing," Sayuri said, covering for her.

"We'd get in deep trouble if we told," Kiyomi jumped in.

"Can you show us anything?" the pudgy boy asked hopefully.

"Uh, sure?" Miyako stood up, pulled out a kunai, and casually nailed an apple dangling from one of the fruit trees that grew along the bank. It fell. The girl scurried over and picked the apple up by the handle of the kunai, looking at it in awe.

"You hit it!" she said, holding up the kunai and apple as proof.

"How'd you do that?" the first boy asked in awe.

"Lots of practice," Miyako explained.

"Here, I can do something," Kiyomi said, standing up. She stood and faced out over the water. "Fireball jutsu!" Fire flew from her lips, lighting up the river. Sayuri stood beside her and did the same, the fire from both attacks mixing and forming a huge fireball.

"Whoa!" the children cheered as the flames died.

"That was super awesome!" the pudgy boy cried.

"How come you don't burn your mouths?" the little girl asked in confusion.

They were a bit young to understand the idea of chakra, so Kiyomi just winked and held up a finger to her lips. "That's another ninja secret."

"You guys have lots of secrets," the girl frowned. She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. "I wanna be a ninja and learn 'em!"

The three genin chuckled along with the mothers at that.

"Come here," Sayuri invited, getting down on her knees in front of the little girl. She held up a fist and pointed to her palm. "Hit right here, as hard as you can, okay?"

"Okay!" The girl took a clumsy stance and raised her fists, looking determined. She hauled her little fist back and punched Sayuri's hand. Sayuri moved her hand back and jerked.

"Whoa, you've got quite a punch there," she said, shaking her hand as if it stung. In all honesty, it did a bit. She was trained to take hits, but that girl had quite the arm. "I think you've got a good chance!"

"I bet I can hit harder," bragged the boy with the missing teeth. He swaggered up to Sayuri and she raised her palm in invitation. He swung and completely missed her palm, yelping as he lost his balance and started to fall. Sayuri caught him around the middle. The girl was pointing at him and laughing loudly.

"You couldn't even hit it!" she accused.

"She's got small hands!" the boy said defensively. He looked up at Sayuri, breaking out puppy dogs eyes that were completely useless. "One more time?" he begged. Sayuri held up her palm again. This time he hit it and Sayuri grinned.

"Not a bad swing you've got," she praised.

"I wanna try!" said the pudgy boy, scurrying up and taking his friend's place. He balled up his fists and swung. Sayuri grinned as her hand flew back.

"I'd say you're all pretty strong," Sayuri said.

"Can you teach us how to fight?" the girl begged. "Just one move, come on, please!"

The three genin exchanged glances.

Suddenly they weren't the students, but the teachers. Sayuri took the little girl, Miyako took the chubby boy, and Kiyomi took the boy with the missing teeth. They taught them a basic, firm stance, then showed them how to throw a punch and a kick. Ayano chatted with the mothers casually as they watched their children.

Finally the children were called for dinner and their mothers took them home, leaving Ayano with her students.

"Well played guys," she said with faux-sternness. "You got out of training today."

"They asked," Kiyomi pointed out.

"Yeah, and you guys are actually decent teachers," Ayano said. She blew on her nails and rubbed them on her chest. "You get it from me," she said smugly.

"You know, they may not hit hard, but after a while, that starts to sting," Miyako said, shaking her hands. All three of the genin had red palms from the repeated contact.

"Anybody else feel fluffy inside though?" Kiyomi asked, raising her hand. Miyako and Sayuri raised their own.

"They're adorable," Ayano admitted. She shook her head. "Alright, you successfully wasted a day. We'll be leaving the morning after next. Let's hope we can accomplish something tomorrow."

* * *

That night they were woken by shouts and screams. In a flash the kunoichi were on their feet and out of the old woman's house. People were running in the street and heading for the square of tamped earth that served as the center of town. A huge fire flickered there.

"What's going on?" Miyako asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Ayano said grimly, strapping her kunai holster to her thigh. "But let's move!"

She leapt to the rooftops and her students followed. They hopped from roof to roof, keeping low and hiding in the shadow. When they got to the square they found a huge bonfire with nearly forty men assembled around it on one side. This was clearly the rest of the band of raiders. On the other side were the townspeople, huddled together for protection.

At the head of the bandits was a man with the same build as Akihiro, but with the addition of a few wrinkles and red, puffy eyes. This was clearly the older brother, Ichiro, the one who led the band. As Kaede had predicted, he was upset about his brother's death.

"You thought it was bad with us taking half of your harvest?" Ichiro snarled. "Well guess what? From now on, we're taking all of it!"

"You can't!" cried a voice.

"Yasushi," Ayano hissed as the skinny, twitchy man moved forwards.

"If you take all of the harvest, we will die!" Yasushi shouted across the crackling of the flames.

"Why is that my problem?" Ichiro demanded. "You all are responsible for the death of my brother and my men. Why should I care if you all starve?" he roared. His voice suddenly got quieter as he said, "But you know? I'm not a bad guy. Maybe I'll leave you enough to live on… if you hand over the guys that killed them. Where are the shinobi you brought in?" Ichiro screamed. "Bring them out and put them at my feet! Give me their lives and I'll spare yours!"

The villagers murmured and the crowd shifted anxiously. Words drifted up. Opinion seemed split. Some were hesitant to give up the people who had already done so much for them. However, others seemed to think four lives weren't much if it meant the village survived.

"Or I can just torch the place now," Ichiro said, reaching down and yanking a flaming branch from the fire. He held the torch aloft tauntingly.

"Give them up!" shouted a voice from the back of the crowd.

"They're not our problem!"

"Just turn them over!"

Soon the crowd was taken over, chanting for Yasushi and Kaede to turn them over and save the village.

"Are you mad?" Kaede shouted right back. "They've already cut that band down by a third. That's more than we've accomplished in the six months since they got us under their thumb. And you want to hand them over to be slaughtered?"

"Shut up old woman!"

"Yeah, what do you know?"

"This is getting bad," Ayano whispered. Her brow was furrowed.

"What do we do?" Sayuri asked calmly.

"Get around behind his men," Ayano ordered. "I'm going in to be a distraction."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Miyako fretted. Ayano grinned, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

"Hey, have some faith in me, kid."

Kiyomi, Sayuri, and Miyako moved off around the rooftops, getting into position on the building behind the raiders. As they moved, Ayano leapt down from the rooftops, landing lightly just on the villager's side of the fire.

"I hear you're looking for me?" Ayano said, putting her hands on her hips and grinning confidently. Ichiro's eyes widened at the sight of her, her hitai-ate gleaming in the firelight.

"_You? You_ killed Akihiro?" he demanded as a few of his men chuckled at the idea that a woman took him down.

"Was he the muscley one with the big sword or the _other_ muscley one with the big sword?" Ayano asked, putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "There were a lot of them, you see."

Ichiro snarled something that Ayano would have smacked any of her students for saying and pulled out his own sword.

"Oho! You're touchy!" Ayano grinned. "You sure that's smart? I'm a jonin, you know. You really think you can take me?"

"I'm gonna knock that sassy head of yours off your shoulders!" Ichiro snarled, lunging for her.

"Take it away, ladies!" Ayano shouted.

"Fireball Jutsu!"

Fire rolled from two separate roofs, bathing the sides of the raider's forces. Four men ran screaming into the night, backs aflame. Three were put out by fast-acting companions, and five simply burned where they fell, writhing on the ground. Senbon, kunai, and shuriken bit into the ranks from all directions. In the flickering light the weapons seem to vanish in the blackness, only to reappear when they caught the firelight and flash red. This made them hard to dodge because almost as soon as you saw them they were gone, but something else was coming for you.

"Lightning Style: Chain Lightning!" Ayano shouted, making hand signs. Lightning shot from her palms and connected with two of the raiders who followed Ichiro's charge for her. They didn't even have time to scream before their charred bodies hit the ground. The lightning split for the three nearest attackers. They shouted as they got a nasty jolt, falling to the ground with their muscles spasming. It spread to three more from each of them, and these only got a bad jolt. The next victims were barely shocked.

"You bitch," Ichiro snarled, advancing on Ayano. "You think you can just come into my territory and kill my men?"

"Well I seem to be doing pretty well," Ayano shrugged. She sounded blasé, but she was actually a bit worried. They were facing about forty men. Their first attacks took out about ten of those, killing or incapacitating them. That left thirty. Even if she took ten, that still left about six for each of the girls. She wasn't sure if they were ready for a battle this pitched yet. "Thank god these guys aren't ninja," she muttered under her breath as she dodged Ichiro's wild, emotion-fueled swing.

"Quit dancing around and fight like a man!" Ichiro roared.

"Okay," Ayano said. "Lightning Style: Lightning Beast Running Jutsu!"

The lightning flew from her palms and took on the shape of a hound. It charged towards Ichiro, whose eyes widened. He threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the attack. Ayano kept him down with a hail of kunai. He howled as a few stuck in his shoulder and side. Reaching up, Ichiro tore one from his shoulder and hurled it at Ayano, who executed a backbend to avoid it.

Ichiro wasn't stupid. It was clear that Ayano mostly used Lightning Techniques. Having metal anywhere near him at this point was only going to make this more dangerous. He stood up and stabbed his sword into the ground, abandoning it as he ran at her with his fists. It would be more satisfying to beat her to a pulp with his bare hands anyway.

He raised a fist to punch her in the stomach. Ayano flipped onto her hands, her feet coming up and nailing him under the chin. Ichiro staggered back as Ayano righted herself. She came at him with one leg extended, hands flicking through signs.

Ayano's fighting style really was something to behold. Because her hands were busy making signs, her legs were both supporting her and doing the attacks, but that was fine with her. Even before she developed this technique, if it came down to taijutsu, she preferred kicks to punches. Ayano's legs flew through the air gracefully, twisting and flashing out, crackling with energy. The smell of scorched flesh came from every place she connected, but Ichiro seemed beyond pain with the loss of his brother. He just kept coming.

Kiyomi and Sayuri were throwing out Fireball Jutsu after Fireball Jutsu, Miyako hurling weapons into the mix. They leapt from roof to roof so their enemy never knew what attack was going to come from where.

"You cowards, get down here!" shouted one of the raiders.

Miyako shrieked as one of the men suddenly appeared over the edge of the roof she was on, clinging to the gutter. He seized her ankle and dragged her over the edge. She hit the ground with him.

"Miyako!" Sayuri shouted. She leapt down in front of Miyako and swung her arms widely, firing bits of bone from her fingertips. "Get back up!" she ordered as she kept them at bay. Miyako leapt back to the roof. Sayuri made to follow her but the moment she stopped the raiders surged forwards, pressing her from all sides. The bone membrane grew under her skin and bone sprouted from her back, chest, arms, and knees.

"What the hell?" one of the bandits yelled as they recoiled from her.

"Larch Dance!" Sayuri shouted, spinning along the line. The bandits fell back, clutching their puncture wounds. Sayuri stopped spinning and the bones retracted into her skin.

She arched in pain as her back exploded in agony. One of them had gotten behind her and had just sliced her back open.

"Sayuri!" Kiyomi shouted. Suddenly Kiyomi was there beside her. She kicked, throwing the man who had cut Sayuri back into the wall. She hurled a kunai, catching him in the throat and sending him sliding to the ground, gasping around his own blood.

"You get up!" Kiyomi ordered. "Fireball Jutsu!" The light and heat distracted the men long enough for Kiyomi to grab Sayuri and haul her back up to the roof.

"Are you okay?" Kiyomi asked worriedly, crouching beside her.

"You saved my life," Sayuri panted with a weak grin. "Thanks for that."

Kiyomi smiled back. "Don't mention it. What're friends for?"

Sayuri grinned. No matter what kind of defenses they had, be it a smart mouth, shyness, or a distant attitude, she knew the truth. They all cared about each other.

"Miyako, get over here!" Kiyomi cried. Miyako leapt onto their roof and landed next to them, hands immediately seeking Sayuri's back. She ran her fingers along the cut and Sayuri winced at the tenderness but she felt the blood begin to clot, forming a scab. At least she didn't have to worry about bleeding out. Miyako's work with her father on the healing aspect of her kekkei genkai was paying off. A couple months ago she couldn't so much as clot the blood from a paper cut.

"Alright, lets finish this," Kiyomi said. The three of them stood up, staring at the raiders below grimly.

Ayano swung at Ichiro one last time. He leaned out of the way, putting his heart directly into the path of her kunai. He gasped and shuddered as the blade slid in. Ayano shoved, forcing it in that last little bit to puncture his heart. She yanked it out and Ichiro dropped, dead.

"Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Ayano looked up as the wind fed the flames, the double fireball roaring to impossible size and rolling over the last few bandits standing. They didn't try to help each other out this time. It was every man for himself. Most of them fled, screaming madly as they were slowly incinerated. A few just dropped and smoldered, writhing.

Slowly, the sounds of battle faded and the villagers, who had fled in terror when the fight started, emerged from their hiding places. Heads poked out of doors and windows, from out of alleys. A few men ventured out to survey the damage. Buckets of water were hastily tossed over any remaining fires. Children were warned to stay inside to keep them from seeing the devastation.

"Everybody okay up there?" Ayano called to the roofs. Miyako and Kiyomi leapt down, supporting Sayuri between them. Ayano raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"

Miyako and Kiyomi turned her around so Ayano could see her back. She winced.

* * *

The next day was spent in celebration for the villagers and rest for the kunoichi. Sayuri took the worst wound. She could have easily damaged her pine but for the bone defense. As if was, she just had a long, deep cut which Kaede stitched up while Sayuri bit on a rag, vaguely buzzed from the sake they'd poured down her throat since they didn't have any morphine with them.

"I'm not taking that," Sayuri groaned as Ayano brandished the bottle of painkillers. To keep from putting pressure on her back, she was lying on her stomach. She took advantage of this by turning her face away. "Do you have any lavender?" she begged Kaede.

"I'll get you some, dearie," she said, patting Sayuri's hand. She rose and tottered out of the room.

"And a lot of onions!" Sayuri called after her.

"Are you making the world's weirdest salad?" Kiyomi asked with a snort.

"I don't like painkillers," Sayuri grumbled. "They make me nauseous. This works just fine."

Kaede sliced the onions and handed them around. Sayuri placed bits on her bruises and sighed in relief. It reeked to high heaven, but the bruises immediately began to reduce in swelling and size, so the others quickly followed her example. Sayuri used a wrung-out towel full of brewed lavender along her back to stop the pain. Their room smelled lovely and horrible in turns for the whole of the night.

* * *

The next morning, on the way back to Konoha, a group of chunin dropped down onto the road in front of them.

"Ayano, why are you headed back?" asked one of them. "We hadn't arrived yet."He looked over the three bruised and battered genin. "What did you get into?"

Ayano sighed. "You would have been awesome to have like two nights ago, my friend. Screw you, sir. Screw you."

The chunin stared at the small group as they continued along the road.

"I'm pretty sure our job was done for us," one of them said faintly.


	11. Pride

**Truth: It didn't do any good to posture.**

"Chunin exams?" Miyako whimpered worriedly.

"Chunin exams!" Kiyomi cheered.

"Chunin exams," Sayuri mused thoughtfully.

"Chunin exams," Ayano huffed. "Now that we've all said it…"

"Do you think we're really ready?" Miyako fretted.

"You ladies took out a troop of raiders. I think you're good," Ayano scoffed. "Trust me, I wouldn't throw you to the wolves like that if I didn't think you could handle it."

"Is anyone else we know trying?" Kiyomi asked eagerly.

"Asuma's team, Kurenai's team, Kakashi's team," Ayano recalled, ticking them off on her fingers. "They nominated their whole teams. There's gonna be a lot of rookies at this year's exam." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out three small slips of paper, handing one to each girl. "So, just sign to form and bring it with you to the Academy on the date at the bottom. It'll be in room 301. It's completely up to each of you whether you do it or not."

"I'm totally in!" Kiyomi grinned.

"I'm interested as well," Sayuri agreed.

"…"

"Miyako?" Kiyomi questioned, looking at the silent girl. "Oh come on!" Kiyomi begged. "You have to! You'd be awesome!"

"No I wouldn't," Miyako murmured, wringing her hands. "I'd fall for a trap… or fail a test… or embarrass you… or say something dumb… I'm not as strong as you… I can't-"

"Breathe," Sayuri cut her off. Miyako took a few gulps of air and calmed down. "You can do it," Sayuri assured her. "Think how many raiders you took out on your own. You can handle it. You're only going up against other genin."

"Yeah," Kiyomi nodded. "I bet we could take half of them on right now, bunch of wimps!"

"You really think?" Miyako asked hopefully.

"Uh,_ duh!"_

"I guess it couldn't hurt to try," Miyako said softly, staring at the paper.

"That's my girls," Ayano nodded proudly. "So I'll see you at the exams?"

"Oh yeah!" Kiyomi cheered.

* * *

"This is awesome!" Kiyomi beamed as they walked home from training. "Chunin exams already? Think about it. By the end of the month we could all be chunin! Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"It would be nice," Sayuri agreed. She paused. "Sakura's around the corner with Naruto and some other people." She recalled the senbon she made after the incident with Kiyomi still tucked in her bag. The pattern of flowers was cherry blossoms. Who was a better person to give it to than Sakura? She didn't use senbon often, from what Sayuri recalled, but it was more decorative than functional anyway. "I have something for her."

"What?" Kiyomi asked in surprise. Sayuri told them about the senbon as they rounded the corner. Sayuri scowled as she felt the tension in the air.

"Something's wrong," she said. Miyako squinted and gasped. "Some guy's got a hold of Konohamaru!"

"Naruto looks _pissed,"_ Kiyomi blinked.

Sayuri took a quick measure of the chakra signatures. Naruto and Sakura were standing by small chakra sources that were probably Konohamaru's friends and Academy students. Konohamaru himself was in the grasp of a tall, unfamiliar boy. There was a strange girl standing behind the boy.

"Should we do something?" Miyako asked softly.

"I'll go," Sayuri said. She darted forwards, slipping past the girl.

"Drop him," she hissed to the boy, bone sliding from her palm to press against the base of his skull.

"Hey, it's you!" Sakura called when she saw her. The rest of her team ran up behind her. "Miyako! Kiyomi!"

"What's going on?" Kiyomi demanded.

"This jerk just grabbed Konohamaru!" Naruto shouted angrily, glaring at the unfamiliar boy. He wore a Suna forehead protector and black from head to toe. Only his face and the tips of his fingers were visible.

"I hate punks like you," the boy grunted. Sayuri pressed forwards and he dropped Konohamaru, who hastily darted behind Naruto and Sakura for protection.

"Well I hate people who pick on little kids, so at least the dislike is mutual," Sayuri replied with surprising vehemence, removing her hand and drawing the bone back in.

"I think I'm gonna take you apart instead," the boy said, turning to face her.

"I really wouldn't," Kiyomi warned.

He shouted in surprise and raised a hand to the back of his head as something connected.

"Nice throw," Sayuri commented absently.

"Thanks," Sasuke replied, leaning against the trunk of a tree nearby, casually tossing another pebble in his hand.

"Sasuke!" Sakura squealed in delight. Sayuri winced at the noise.

"Oh great, another wimp to tick me off," the boy grumbled.

"However, I'm closer," Sayuri pointed out calmly. She tilted her face up towards Sasuke in the tree. "What attack do you think would hit him first Sasuke, yours or mine?"

Sasuke crushed the rock to powder in his fist. "Don't know. We'll have to find out some other time. I seem to be out rocks," he smirked, before looking at boy. "Get lost," he ordered coldly.

"Hey punk, get down here!" he shot back. "You're the kind of brat I hate the most; all attitude and nothing to back it up." He tugged the bandage-wrapped parcel off his shoulder.

The girl gasped in surprise. "What, are you going to use the Crow for this?"

"I wouldn't try anything funny," Sayuri said, her blade coming to rest across his throat.

"_Kankuro. Back off."_

The speaker was a red-haired boy dangling upside down from the bottom of a branch. He wore brown and white, a gourd slung over his back. He was a small boy, with no eyebrows, but a tattoo of the character for love on his forehead. His eyes were rimmed in a thick line of black. Oddly enough it seemed to be natural, and not makeup. His voice was rough and gravelly.

"You're an embarrassment to our village," the boy continued. "Have you forgotten why we came here?"

"G-Gaara," the boy, Kankuro, stammered. Sayuri raised an eyebrow and stepped back, pulling the bone back into her arm. She got why he might be scared of this tiny boy. His chakra was off the charts, just like Naruto's. In fact, in some ways, they were sort of similar. "I-I know. I-I mean, they challenged us. Heh heh, th-they started it! S-See, here's what happened-"

"Shut up," Gaara snarled. "Or I'll kill you."

Kankuro flinched and raised his shoulders protectively. "Ah, right. I was totally out of line. I'm sorry Gaara, I was totally out of line."

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused," Gaara said, though he didn't sound particularly sorry. He didn't sound particularly _anything_, keeping his voice at a careful monotone. He vanished from the tree and reappeared on the sidewalk in a stream of sand. "Let's go," he ordered the three. "We didn't come here to play games."

"Okay," Kankuro said, and they immediately turned to follow Gaara.

"Hold on!" Sakura called, running after them. "Hey!"

"Sakura, let it go," Miyako begged worriedly. Sakura ignored her.

"What?" the girl snapped.

"I can tell by your headbands you're from Suna, and our lands are allies, but no shinobi may enter another's village without permission, so state your business, and it better be good!" Sakura said, straightening out her back and tilting up her chin proudly.

"Really?" she scoffed as all three turned to face them. "Have you been living under a rock or something? What, you don't know what's going on, do you?" She held up a pass, bearing her picture and a seal of approval. "We _have_ permission. But you're right, we are from Suna, and we're here for the chunin exams, get the picture?"

"The chunin exams?" Naruto said blankly. "What's that?"

"The test to become a chunin, Naruto," Sayuri sighed, rubbing her forehead in irritation.

"Don't be stupid in front of the enemy," Kiyomi scolded. Naruto looked at her, affronted.

"Hey!"

"Hey you," Sasuke called as they turned again to leave. "Identify yourself!"

"Me?" the girl asked flirtatiously.

"No, the guy with the gourd on his back," Sasuke said, ignoring her like all his fangirls.

"I am Sabaku no Gaara. Who are you?"

"I am Sasuke Uchiha."

"And you, what's your name?" Gaara asked, eyes on Sayuri. Kiyomi nudged her. Sayuri pointed to herself.

"Who me?" she shook her head. This was all about being macho for Gaara and Sasuke. The truth was, it didn't do any good to posture. You could still die just as easily. "Sorry, no. I don't particularly care to share my name with you. After all, we're going to be against each other in the chunin exams. I rather like the advantage of knowing your name while you don't know mine."

"Wow that sounds like something I would say," Kiyomi chuckled. She patted Sayuri's shoulder proudly. "I taught you well."

"I bet you're dying to know my name, right?" Naruto burst out. Gaara scoffed.

"I couldn't care less."

"I'm glad you guys showed up," Sakura sighed in relief as the Suna-nin shot off. She shuddered. "Those guys were creepy!"

"I didn't see anything creepy about them," Sayuri said innocently.

"Sayuri..." Miyako sighed as Sakura giggled slightly.

"Anyway, I have something for you," Sayuri said, reaching into her equipment pouch. Sakura looked at her, surprised. She wasn't really friends with Sayuri, and the girl was giving her a gift.

"For me?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"I made it a few weeks ago and I thought you might like it," Sayuri said, holding up the senbon. "It's appropriate." Sakura took it from her, looking it over in awe.

"You made this?" she asked in surprise, running a finger over all of the tiny carved cherry blossoms. "It's beautiful!"

"Thank you," Sayuri nodded.

"What's it made of?" Sakura said, staring at the white material in confusion.

"Take a wild guess."

"This is bone, isn't it?" Sakura asked somewhat hesitantly. It didn't bend or snap like she expected bone would.

"Bone that's harder than steel," Sayuri nodded. "It's more decorative than useful, but I thought you might like it anyway."

"Thanks," Sakura said thankfully, tucking it into her own equipment pouch. "It's really pretty."

"No problem," Sayuri nodded again.

"Pebbles?" Kiyomi grinned at Sasuke. "Really? Throwing an actual weapon not badass enough for you, Uchiha?"

"He wasn't worth a weapon," Sasuke scoffed. Kiyomi snorted right.

"Tell me, does it get tiring pretending to have a stick up your a-"

"Okay!" Miyako burst out loudly, grabbing Kiyomi's arm and dragging her over to Sayuri. "And on that note I think we should be going!"

* * *

Team 9 arrived about a half hour before time at the Academy the next day, signed forms in hand.

"Ready for this?" Kiyomi grinned.

"As I'll ever be," Miyako groaned.

"Perk up," Sayuri encouraged as they entered the Academy. "You'll be fine."

They started up the stairs but paused as they hit the second floor and came face to back with a huge knot of genin clogging the halls.

"What's going on?" Sayuri asked blankly. "Why're we stopping?"

"There's a crowd," Kiyomi said, jumping slightly to see over the top. At the head of the crowd was a door with the number 301 above it. Two genin stood in front of it, blocking the way. Two more genin were on the floor in front of them.

Kiyomi sighed. "Looks like some dumb genin guys trying to prove they've got a big one," she sneered, shoving her way through the crowd. "Come on."

Miyako grabbed Sayuri's hand and pulled her after Kiyomi through the crowd. The closer they got to the front, the more sure Sayuri was of the chakra signatures she was sensing.

"Why don't you just give up now?" snorted one of the genin.

"Yeah, I think I hear your mommy calling," the other one mocked.

"Please let us through, we're supposed to go in there," begged a girl on the floor by a boy who was presumably one of her teammates. She stood up and walked towards the doors, only to get knocked onto her butt when one of the genin boys punched her.

"Harsh," someone in the crowd muttered.

"Did you say harsh?" one of them scoffed. "Don't kid yourselves, we're being nice by comparison."

"Calm down, that's not where you're supposed to be," Sayuri said, stopping by the girl and the boy on the ground. She turned her face towards the door. "Izumo, Kotetsu, I'm assuming you were ordered to do this, otherwise I'm going to be very annoyed with you two."

"What's she talking about?" muttered someone in the crowd.

"We only came up one flight of stairs. This is the second floor," Sayuri sighed.

"Release!" Miyako said, and Kiyomi copied her. The sign above the door changed to say 201.

Sayuri looked at the two, shaking her head at them. "_Really_ guys?"

The two genin disappeared behind a puff of smoke and reappeared as their normal, chunin selves.

"Nice going Lily-girl," Kotetsu grinned at her. Izumo sighed.

"Here we go again," he grumbled.

"Kotetsu, my name isn't Lily-girl," Sayuri said sternly.

"Really," scoffed a voice behind her. Sayuri hadn't heard anyone appear behind her and she reached instinctively, spinning around in a kick. Sasuke's eyes widened and he raised a hand to block, but there was no need. In a blur, the boy in the jumpsuit who was being knocked around was suddenly between the two of them, holding them apart with both hands.

"Sasuke," Sayuri breathed in surprise. "Sorry about that," she said, pulling her heel from the boy's grip. "You startled me."

"I figured," Sasuke snorted.

"Hey Sayuri?" Naruto asked. She turned to face him.

"Hmm? What Naruto?"

"Well, first off it's really creepy how you know where I am," Naruto began. "And secondly, how come that guy called you Lily-girl?"

"Because he's an idiot," Sayuri sighed. "The day after I arrived in Konoha I ran into him and Izumo. By some odd train of thought he couldn't remember my name but he did remember what it meant. He's been calling me Lily-girl ever since. I can't get him to quit," she complained.

"Hey!" said an annoyed voice. The girl and another boy, this one with the white eyes of a Hyuga, walked up the jumpsuited boy. "I thought you were the one who said we shouldn't let people see our skill level."

"I know," the jumpsuited boy began, "but-"

"Never mind, forget about it," the girl sighed.

The boy in the green jumpsuit ignored his teammates and walked right past Sasuke, up to Sakura.

"My name is Rock Lee," he said. "You are Sakura, right?"

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"Please be my girlfriend?" Lee said, winking at her and shooting her a thumbs-up. "I vow to protect you with my life."

Dead silence.

"Definitely… not," Sakura said, clearly crushing Lee. He slumped.

"Why?" he whimpered.

Because you're a weirdo," she said bluntly.

"Hey you, over here," called Lee's other male teammate, the Hyuga. That meant one should avoid being within reach of his hands as well and attack from a distance. "What's your name?"

Sasuke turned to look at him. "It's common courtesy to give your name before asking anyone else's."

"You're a rookie, aren't you?" the Hyuga continued, undaunted. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm not obliged to answer."

The Hyuga narrowed his eyes as the girl behind him giggled. "What was that?"

Kiyomi stepped between the two of them and held up her hands. "Girls, girls, you're both pretty," she cooed at them teasingly. "Now play nice together."

"Kiyomi, maybe you shouldn't get involved?" Miyako suggested quietly. The Hyuga's eyes flicked from Kiyomi to her and Miyako gulped, sliding behind Sayuri. Those eyes were so _creepy…_

"Hyuga, stop scaring Miyako," Sayuri scolded him.

"Weirdo," Lee muttered, leaning on the wall.

"No one wants to know my name," Naruto mourned, in much the same pose.

"Alright, I wash my hands of this weirdness," Kiyomi said, throwing up her hands. "Let's go guys."

Sayuri turned on her heel and promptly slammed into a wall.

"Ow!" she yelped. "Who put that there?"

"We've been over that. The architect," Miyako sighed.

The girl from Lee's team spoke up. "You know, maybe if you took that thing off your eyes," she pointed out as if she were talking to a particularly slow child. Her tone annoyed Sayuri, who turned to face her.

"Considering I blind, I really doubt it will make much difference," she said sharply. The girl blinked.

"Wait, then how'd you know I was looking at her?" the Hyuga asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kiyomi grinned, pulling her teammates down the hall after her.

* * *

Naruto's team were the last of the rookie genin inside the room and they were greeted by a squealing Ino leaping onto Sasuke, which immediately set off a brawl between her and Sakura.

"Everybody calm down," Sayuri said, tugging Ino off of Sasuke.

"You you guys are here too?" Kiyomi asked Ino.

"Yeah, we are," Shikamaru said as the rest of Ino's team appeared behind her. "I knew this was going to be a drag, but I didn't know it was going to be this lame."

"Hey, so all three stooges are here," Naruto grinned.

"You know what pipsqueak?" Shikamaru began angrily, before slumping. "Ah, forget it. You're a waste of time."

"Sasuke's mine!" Ino said, sticking out her tongue at Sakura. She was too involved in the fight to notice when Kiyomi spoke up.

"When did this happen?" Kiyomi said in mock surprise. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha!"

Sasuke glanced at her suspiciously. "Are you and your team the only girls in this village who don't find me attractive?" he asked, honestly curious. He'd never seen a single one of them staring at him or murmuring behind their hands when he walked by. They'd certainly never fought to sit next to him or come up and asked him out.

Kiyomi threw back her head and laugh. "Oh hardly! You're hot, don't get me wrong," she said casually. "But we're not gonna make fools out of ourselves over you like some people will." She nodded to Sakura and Ino pointedly.

"Well well, looks like the whole gang's back together again," Kiba said, walking forwards with his team.

"Oh, hi Naruto," Hinata whispered. Naruto looked at her, and she flushed.

"You guys too? Man, everyone's here for this stupid thing," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Yep, here we all are," Kiba grinned doggishly. "The twelve rookies. This is gonna be fun! At least, for those of us good enough to make the cut, right Sasuke?"

"Kiba, careful you don't get overconfident," Sasuke smirked.

"Just wait, we're going to blow you guys away," Kiba bragged. "We've been training."

"What do you think we've been doing?" Naruto demanded. "Picking daisies? You don't know what training means!"

"Don't mind Kiba," Hinata said quietly, fiddling with her fingers. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

"Guys, we should try to get along," Miyako jumped in with her, and Hinata glanced at her gratefully. "We're already at a disadvantage being rookies, so why don't we try and help each other so we all get through this?"

They were ignored and Choji moved forwards towards Kiba. Shino stepped into his path.

"What do you want?" Choji said belligerently. "What's wrong?"

Shino looked down pointedly, and they all followed his gaze. A bug crawled in front of Choji's foot.

"Thought maybe you hadn't seen it. Didn't want you stepping on it."

"Why, you saving it for lunch?"

"Hey, you guys!"

A boy was walking over them. He wore a hitai-ate proclaiming him to be from Konoha. His hair was silver and he wore round glasses.

"You might want to try keeping it down a bit," he advised. "No offense or anything, but you're the twelve rookies, right? Fresh out of the Academy? I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves. Just cool it. This isn't a class field trip."

"Wait, who are you anyway?" Ino asked.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. Look around you, you've made quite an impression."

Kabuto jerked his attention away from her, gesturing to a trio to one side of the room who were giving the darkest looks. "See those guys there? They're from Amegakure, very touchy. They all are. This exam makes people tense. You don't want to rub them the wrong way right now. It's okay, you can't be expected to know how things work. You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back."

"Kabuto, is that your name?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah."

"This isn't the first time you've taken the exam," she guessed.

"No, it's… my seventh," he admitted. "Well, they're held twice a year, this is my fourth year."

"Wow, a veteran," Sakura said, impressed. "You must really know how things work!" Team 9 personally couldn't understand why Sakura was so awed. Kabuto had taken the test six times already, and had yet to pass. Few became chunin at the end of each exam, but Sayuri knew from Satoru that was an oddly long time to pass.

"Sort of," Kabuto agreed.

"Cool, you can give us all the inside tips," Naruto grinned.

"Yeah, some expert, he's never passed," Shikamaru said, unconsciously agreeing with the other team.

"Well, seventh time's the charm," Kabuto said, bringing a hand to the back of his head sheepishly.

"So I guess those rumors about the exam being tough were true," Shikamaru sighed. "Aw man, this is going to be a drag."

"Now hold on, don't get discouraged. Maybe I can help you guys out with my ninja info cards," Kabuto offered, holding up a deck of cards.

"What the heck are those?" Sakura said blankly.

"It's hard to explain, but these cards have been chakra-encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years." He knelt down and set them on the ground. They all crouched down curiously. "I've got more than two hundred of them, so you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time. They may not look like much to the naked eye. In fact," he said, turning one over, "they appear blank. Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff." He placed a finger on the card and began to spin it.

"What are you doing?" Sakura demanded.

"I'm using my chakra to reveal their secrets. Like this, for example." He made a hand sign and a map appeared on the card, green bars rising out of many countries. "It shows a geographical distribution of all the genin who have come to take the exam, how many from each village. Why do you think they all come here to take the exam at the same time?" He waited for a response, but there was none. "It's to foster friendship between the nations, international brotherhood and all that. And it's true enough."

"But there's another reason," Sasuke guessed.

"This way they can carefully regulate the number of shinobi in each village," Kabuto nodded. "Thereby maintaining the balance of power."

"Balance of power, big deal, it's all a drag," Shikamaru sighed.

"If the balance isn't maintained, one country might have more shinobi than its neighbors, and might be persuaded to attack them. So they try to maintain the status quo. Makes sense, I suppose.

"Do those cards of yours have info on individual candidates?" Sasuke asked.

"They might?" Kabuto said slyly. "You have someone special in mind?"

"I might."

"Well I can't promise my information is complete or perfect, but I've got something on just about everyone," Kabuto said. "Including you guys. So which one is it? Tell me anything you know about them."

"Sabaku no Gaara," Sasuke said. "And Rock Lee of Konohagakure while you're at it."

"It's no fun if you know their names," Kabuto complained. "That makes it easy." He swiped his hand over the cards and held up two. "Here they are."

"Show them to me."

"First up is Rock Lee," Kabuto said, spinning the card. Lee's picture appeared on a card with lines of information. "Looks like he's about a year older than you guys. Missions experience: 11 C-ranks and 20 D-ranks. His squad leader is Gai. In the last twelve months, his taijutsu has radically improved. His other skills are pretty shaky. Last year he got a lot of attention as a genin but for some reason he decided not to participate. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuga.

"Now for Gaara. Mission experience: 8 C-ranks and, get this, 1 B-rank. There's not a lot of info on him. He's from another land. There's this though. He survived every mission without a single scratch."

"The dude's done a B-rank as a genin and hasn't been injured?" Shikamaru said, impressed despite his usual apathy.

"What's the deal with this guy?" Naruto wondered.

"All of the villages sent pretty strong candidates this year," Kabuto mused. "Of course, Sound is small. It sprang up recently and no one knows anything about it. Those guys are a mystery." He gathered his cards. "Well, you get the point. The exams are going to be rough this year."

"It's almost enough to make you lose your confidence," Hinata said weakly.

"Fine time to talk like that!" Ino huffed.

"Do you really think it'll be that bad?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Oh yeah. In the four years I've been coming here, I've never seen a stronger group of candidates. We've got our work cut out for us."

Naruto was shaking. Sakura tried to comfort him, thinking he was upset, but he wasn't worried. Seemingly nothing worried Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he screamed at the whole room. "I'm going to beat everyone one of you! Believe it!"

Sayuri grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

"Naruto, maybe you shouldn't irritate the room full of angry genin?" Miyako suggested softly.

Kiyomi turned to the room at large. "My apologies everyone. Naruto has a disorder. Please ignore him."

"Hey, Kiyomi, I don't-"

Naruto got a backwards kick to the shin that sent him to the ground, crying like a little girl.

"Carry on," Kiyomi smiled placidly, before turning and helping Naruto up. "We don't want everyone setting their eyes on us as targets," she hissed in his ear. "Sorry, but you need to _calm down."_

Everyone's eyes widened as the sound shinobi rushed past them, aiming for Kabuto. It was clear they hadn't liked his comment on the size of their village. They was treated to a first-hand view of how bad their attacks could be when Kabuto dodged the hits from one, but still ended up on the floor coughing up a lung with his glasses shattered.

"_Alright you baby-faced degenerates, listen up!"_ shouted a man who appeared in a puff of smoke, completely disregarding the little brawl at the back of the room. "It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. From this moment on, I'm your worst enemy. First, the Sound-nin need to knock it off. No one told you you could fight!" He pointed thunderously at the three genin at the back of the room standing over Kabuto. You wanna fail before we even start?"

"So sorry, it's our first time."

"Hmph. I'll say it once, so pay attention. No combat between candidates, and even if the proctors give the okay, no fatal force! Anyone who _thinks_ of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it?

"Now, we're ready to start. Hand in your paper work and take a number. That'll tell you where to sit. When everyone's seated, we'll begin the written part of the test."


	12. Enjoyment

**Truth: She enjoyed fighting more than she should admit.**

The test was explained with famous Morino bluntness. Take your test, sit down, shut up, don't ask questions, and pray your team could support you. Every time you missed a question you lost a point. Proctors lined the room. If you got caught cheating you lost two points. Lose all your points and you were out then and there. If one team member got kicked out the whole team was done, game over. You got the final question 15 minutes before the test ended.

"Begin!"

Miyako turned over her paper and gasped. She could have cried. She had no idea how to do any of this! She knew she shouldn't have come! She was going to drag her team down with her! Miyako glanced around helplessly. There was nothing to help her out, nothing to save her.

Kiyomi just stared at her paper. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't just a smartass. She was actually pretty smart. She figured out one of the questions and then stared at her paper. This was hard. _Way_ too hard. She may be a rookie, but this was ridiculous. It wasn't possible for any genin to know this kind of stuff.

"Made a big deal about cheating," she muttered, and then smiled. "Ah, of course."

The guy next to her looked up at her in confusion. She gave him a sweet smile in response and turned back to her paper. So the object was to cheat, huh? She glanced around. Sayuri was smiling slightly, her pencil moving with surprising ease across the paper. Sayuri may not be able to read, but she could write, and particularly if she had someone to copy off of. Her eyes were fixed on the guy in front of her, who was writing diligently. Her abilities at sensing chakra extended to movements of the body, which was how she tracked people around her, and right now she was honing in on the movements of his hand and mimicking them.

Kiyomi looked the other way at Miyako, who looked as if she was about to cry. Kiyomi winced in sympathy. Yeah, these questions were rough. It would probably never occur to goody-two-shoes Miyako to even _attempt_ to cheat. It was up to Kiyomi to get the message through. Of course, she had to get the answers too….

Kiyomi glanced around, looking for people who had probably already figured it out and have some answers. Sasuke, sure, but she couldn't see him. Sakura looked like she was about to rip out her hair. The Hyugas probably had it easy, but she didn't have any idea how to copy off of them. However, that Hyuga boy wasn't going to let his team fail. That'd drag him down. So how were they handling it?

Kiyomi's eyes caught on Tenten, whose fingers were twitching oddly. She frowned slightly until she caught a glint of something. She looked up and saw a mirror on the ceiling. Tenten was manipulating the angle of it so that she could see the test of someone in front of her. Kiyomi grinned and started writing. The angle was tough for her to see, but it would be perfect for Miyako.

The question was, how to get her attention without just blatantly standing up and screaming, 'Hey Miyako, that chick's got a mirror you can copy off of?' Well, Sayuri always said she was good at making a scene…

"Achoo!" Kiyomi let out a loud sneeze. Half the room turned to look at her and the other half flinched. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "Allergies."

Miyako was looking at her incredulously. Kiyomi locked eyes with Miyako and very pointedly looked up and over. Miyako followed her gaze and her eyes widened hopefully. Immediately she began scribbling down answers. Kiyomi shook her head. Miyako was so cute sometimes.

She and the rest of the class watched in rapt attention as one of the shinobi taking the test was caught cheating for the fifth time. It was Kotetsu who caught him, and he wasn't kind. He pierced the guy's test with a kunai and sent him out in front of the whole class. Several others got caught, and if they argued, they were forcibly ejected from the room. One was dragged out screaming, another pinned to a wall and then tossed out.

"Alright, listen up! Here's the tenth and final question!"

The tenth question. It was time.

"First though, there are some more rules you need to be aware of specifically for question ten. Pay attention and try not to get scared. Rule Number 1. You can choose not to get the final question. But if you don't, you get a zero. Of course, that goes to the rest of your team's score, and you all fail. If you take the question but miss it, _you can't take the chunin exam ever again!"_

Protests were met with uncaring laughs from Ibiki.

"Now, the tenth and final question. If you want to bow out, raise your hand and your number will be recorded. Then get out."

One guy raised his hand to leave, and that set off a chain reaction around the room as others raised their hands, giving in. Everyone was surprised by how many people gave up. There was an exodus from the classroom as people's determination floundered.

Miyako's eyes widened in shock as Naruto's hand went up shakily. She thought if anyone gave in on his team, it'd be Sakura.

Naruto's hand slammed down.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't give up! Act tough all you want, you can't scare me off, no way! Don't count me out!" he shouted. "I keep trying, I don't care if I spend the rest of my life a genin. I'll still be Hokage someday!"

Naruto sat down sharply, crossing their arms across his chest proudly.

Ibiki glared at him. "This is a life decision here. This is your last chance to go back."

"I _never_ go back on my word," Naruto said. "That's the way of the ninja!"

"Well said!" Kiyomi called from her seat, smirking slightly as she applauded. Her team joined her for a moment and Naruto grinned at them as he sat down. They grinned back.

"Well then, I admire your determination if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. To tell you… you passed!"

"Hold on!" Sakura demanded from the back of the class. "What about the tenth question?"

Sayuri sighed. She looked up at Ibiki. "You asked if we wanted to stay. _That_ was the tenth question. The other questions… to see if we could gather information…"

"Right on the nose," Ibiki grinned at her. "This was so that we could test how well you'd handle knowing your every action affected your team. The test was created so that cheating was almost required, but just so that you had someone to cheat off of, I had two chunin who knew the answers sit in with you!" Two men waved. "If you got caught, you failed. Better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily." He ripped off his head covering, revealing that he was bald, his scalp blackened and burned, veins bulging under the shrunken skin. "There are times when your ability to gather information will be life or death. You may have to risk your life for it, or it may be to save the life of another." He replaced the covering. "But be aware that disinformation can be more dangerous than no information."

Ibiki was inspiring, if terrifying. He once again reinforced the idea their teachers had pounded into them from day one, that the team was more important than the individual. He also reminded them once more of just how dangerous the life of a shinobi was. However, throughout all that, he said how important it was that someone be there _to_ do these things.

Ibiki had barely finished his speech when a woman broke through the window and pinned a banner to the wall behind her with kunai all in one smooth movement, posing in front of it.

"Head up boys and girls, no time to get complacent! I'm your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi! Are you ready for the second part of the chunin exams? Then let's go!"

* * *

In theory, the second part of the chunin exam was simple. They had to enter the – according to Anko, aptly-named - Forest of Death. They had either a Heaven or Earth scroll. It was a no-holds-barred smack down to get whatever scroll you didn't have and then get to the tower in the middle of the forest safety. There were few rules. Don't look at your scroll, don't let your team mates die, and get to the tower within five days.

It got somewhat more unnerving when they were handed a release form saying it wasn't Konoha's fault if they died in there.

Sayuri, Miyako, and Kiyomi signed their forms and stepped into the curtained booth where they turned the forms in and were handed a scroll. They got an Earth scroll.

"Alright, so, we can't just carry the thing around. There's gotta be some kind of trick here," Kiyomi mused. "How're we gonna get tricky?"

"I have a thought," Sayuri said, reaching into her equipment pouch. She pulled out a tiny scroll and unrolled it on the ground, pressing her hand down onto it. Scrolls spilled out, along with ink and a brush.

"You have scrolls holding scrolls?" Kiyomi said blankly. Sayuri shrugged.

"You never know what might come up. Do any of these look like the Earth scroll?"

"These two do," Kiyomi said, holding a pair up.

"This one kind of does," Miyako said, holding up one scroll, the wrapping of which was a shade lighter than the others.

"Perfect. Who's got the steadiest hand?" Sayuri asked. "Write the character on these. We'll each take a fake so that even if we're knocked out we've still got a shot of keeping our scroll."

"I've got it," Kiyomi said, kneeling down. Her hands were steady from hours working on a pottery wheel as a child. Painstakingly, she copied down the character onto all three scrolls, handing them off to Miyako and Sayuri to blow on and dry the ink. When they were dry, they each took one and tucked it into their equipment pouches.

"What do we do with the real one?" Kiyomi asked, holding it up.

"Put it where anyone would hesitate to search," Sayuri said with a surprisingly lewd grin. Kiyomi giggled as she caught on.

"Oh, right," she smiled, pulling out her collar and tucking it into her bra. Miyako flushed.

"Are you sure that's really… uhm… secure?"

"Hey, _no one's_ getting in here," Kiyomi said, crossing her arms over her chest.

They took their place at their assigned gate, waiting for it to grind open. As soon as it did, they stepped inside.

The screaming started almost immediately as the strongest stamped out the weakest the moment they saw them. You had to be the best of the best to get to the tower, and there were some people that just weren't going to cut it. They may have been able to pass the first part of the exam, but that was the easy bit. This was where things got tricky, and some people just weren't meant for this. On the other hand, some people were born for this sort of thing.

"Alright, so how do we handle this?" Kiyomi asked, her shoulders tense. The screams were putting all of them on edge. "What kind of tactic are we going to use?"

"We should get away from the gate soon so that the others don't know where to find us," Miyako pointed out, eyes darting around worriedly. They took off in the trees, getting a decent distance from the gate before they settled on a large branch to talk strategy.

"So we have Miyako in the trees doing genjutsu on anyone who comes near us…" Kiyomi mused. "Nah, it'd be obvious she was lying in wait."

"Then I'll walk alone with you both in the trees," Sayuri suggested. "With my defenses even if someone catches me by surprise they won't be able to hurt me badly."

"But why would you be alone?" Miyako asked, picking a hole in the plan.

"I can act scared and mumble about being separated from my team. If I feel people coming, I'll give you a signal."

"What's the signal?" Miyako asked.

"I'll scratch my cheek," Sayuri said, raising a hand and scratching in demonstration.

"That's not bad," Kiyomi nodded thoughtfully. "Miyako, that okay with you?"

"Yeah," Miyako nodded, biting her lip. "Just… be safe, okay?"

"Got it," Sayuri said with a smile. She grabbed Miyako's hand. "Miyako, don't be afraid to use Saiketsu."

Miyako's eyes widened, but she nodded shakily. Sayuri squeezed her hand encouragingly and dropped from the tree. She removed her hitai-ate from her eyes and tied it around her throat instead. It would be easier for people to believe she was scared if they could see her eyes. Sayuri took a deep breath and remembered Kimimaro, and the fear she felt when he didn't come home. She drew on that and when she was sure she looked suitably terrified, she started staggering around, jerking this way and that and looking around frantically.

Sayuri actually did flinch when she felt three chakra signatures coming towards her. She raised a hand and scratched her cheek.

"W-Who's there?" she stammered out fearfully, taking a step back.

"Sayuri?"

It was Kiba's voice, but it wasn't Kiba.

"K-Kiba," she sighed in relief. "Oh, you're a sight for sore eyes."

'Kiba' swaggered forwards with 'Shino' and 'Hinata' behind him.

"What happened to your team?" 'Kiba' asked. Sayuri lowered her face.

"I-I don't know," she said softly. "I lost them. We got attacked right at the gate. I-I thought they were behind me, b-but…" She shrugged helplessly. "I just really hope they're okay."

"They're a lot better off that you," 'Hinata' said, and it was incredibly disturbing to hear Hinata's voice sound that malicious.

Sayuri's eyes fixed on her. "No, they're really not."

"Fireball Jutsu!"

"Great Breakthrough!"

Fire rolled from the tree branches, bolstered by a burst of wind, senbon flying in the middle of it all. Sayuri leapt and rolled out of the way. The fake team shouted and scrambled out of the way. In their distraction they let the disguises drop. Their hitai-ate showed them to be from the Grass Village. There were two women, a blonde and a red-head, and a man.

Kiyomi jumped from the trees, a hail of kunai leading thanks to Miyako.

"Aya, you take the scared one," the man snapped as Kiyomi landed by Sayuri. "I want her. Mai, get the one in the tree."

The blonde grinned. "Got it Toshiro," she said as she leapt into the trees.

"You shouldn't have sent her off. You're going to need her to take me," Kiyomi boasted.

Toshiro scoffed. "If I need her to best you, I'll personally hand over my scroll to you."

"Summoning Jutsu!" cried Aya, making a series of hand signs. She slammed a palm to the ground. A huge bear burst out of the smoke, rising up on its back feet and roaring. It dropped back to all fours so hard the ground shook. Kiyomi paled.

"Oh my," she said faintly.

"You were saying?" Toshiro smirked as he lunged at her.

"Focus Kiyomi!" Sayuri snapped as she ran past, going for the bear as she stripped her shirt from her shoulders. The bear rose up again, baring its claws. Bones burst from all over Sayuri. "Larch Dance!"

The bear roared as Sayuri slammed into it and started spinning, digging into its torso again and again. The bear vanished in a burst of smoke.

Kiyomi wasn't sure if she should be scared or pleased that it seemed Toshiro was also a taijutsu type. She knew how to fight this. She spun and ducked and dodged, getting a feel for his style. He seemed to rely more on punches than kicks, which was fine with her.

He swung at her. She grabbed his wrist in one hand. He punched with his other hand and she seized it as well. His leg came up. Kiyomi twisted, balancing on one leg as she blocked him with her calf. She jerked on his limbs, pulling him down. Her knee slammed into his temple, breaking the skin. He staggered back, dazed, blood leaking down his cheek.

"You're gonna pay for that," he snarled, shaking off his dizziness.

"Put it on my tab," Kiyomi grinned, confidence back now that she'd landed a hit.

* * *

"Come out come out, little girl!" Mai called as she rushed through the trees, following the other girl. She gasped in surprise and dropped as kunai flew out of nowhere, nearly killing her.

"Someone likes traps!" Mai grunted as she pushed herself up. She gasped as she saw Toshiro crawling on the ground below. He was scorched and burned, senbon pricking out of him. She dropped down next to him. "Toshiro, what happened?" she asked in shock.

"Those girls…" he gasped. "Monsters…"

"Where's Aya?" she asked fearfully. Toshiro's throat worked, but he said nothing. Mai burst into tears.

"This is why I didn't want to take the exam!" she shouted at him. "I was afraid of this! I was so worried! I didn't want us to… to…"

"I'm very sorry."

Mai whirled at the soft whisper just in time to see the fist slam into the side of her face, throwing her into the tree. Miyako winced as she connected and slid down, unconscious. She didn't like using that technique and turning people's fears against them, but it had been her best option at the time.

The Toshiro at her feet vanished in a puff of smoke as Miyako made her way over to Mai. She quickly tied her up in case the girl woke and started searching her. Miyako checked her pouches before patting her down, wincing when she felt a bump under her shirt. They'd hidden the scroll the same place as her team, apparently. Feeling very much like a pervert, Miyako thrust her hand down Mai's shirt and yanked the scroll out, shoving it into her equipment pouch and turning away hastily.

"I'm sorry for that too," she murmured before sprinting back in the direction of the fight.

* * *

"Summoning Jutsu!" the redhead shouted angrily. This time a large lizard burst out of the puff of smoke.

"Does she ever run out of those?" Kiyomi screamed furiously as she ducked a punch from Toshiro. His knee came up and nailed her in the nose. She cursed and staggered back, eyes watering and blood dripped from her nose.

"Digital Shrapnel!" Sayuri shouted angrily, peppering the reptile with bone bullets. It vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Summoning Jutsu! Summoning Jutsu! Summoning Jutsu!"

A trio of cougars burst from the smoke, one lunging for Kiyomi, who dodged frantically, slamming a kunai home in one of its eyes. The beast vanished with a howl and Kiyomi went flying. Toshiro had taken advantage of her distraction and nailed her in the side with a kick.

"How do we stop her?" Kiyomi shouted as she picked herself up, landing a solid hit on Toshiro's shoulder as he came at her. "Don't you need scrolls to summon or something?"

"How would I know?" Sayuri snapped as she dove away from one of the cougars. The other one swiped with a paw, tearing into her shoulder. She shouted in pain and spun around, raising her knee and driving it into the thing's side. A bone skewer shot from her patella, driving into the beast. It vanished in a puff of smoke. Sayuri leapt into the air to avoid the next cougar's lunge and landed behind it, seizing its tail and yanking with all her might. It spun around with a snarl and she punched it right in the nose. It yelped and recoiled. Sayuri used its distraction to scoot forwards. She placed her fingers under the thing's jaw and fired bone bullets up. Blood burst from the top of its head and it vanished.

_"Summoning Jutsu!"_

"Are you kidding me?" Kiyomi shrieked as a huge crane burst out of the smoke, swooping towards Sayuri, who snarled. She ducked as it flew over her head and leapt, grabbing its wing. The crane cawed its alarm as Sayuri dragged it towards the ground. It clawed into her shoulder, but she grit her teeth, dug her heels in, and spun, hurling the crane into a tree, followed by more bone bullets. It exploded into smoke.

"Summoning Ju-"

"Shut up!" Sayuri roared, hurling kunai at her. Aya jumped aside.

"Would you take her out already?" Kiyomi screamed as she drove Toshiro back with a series of kicks. He grabbed her leg and she seized his wrist, clinging to him as he tried to throw her. She spun around and elbowed him in the stomach. He doubled over, releasing her foot. Kiyomi turned to face him and kicked him square in the nose.

"That's for breaking my nose, you jerk!" she snapped as he staggered back, clutching his own broken nose.

Sayuri ran at Aya, murder in her eyes as her shoulder burned.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Something caught Sayuri's ankle and she face-planted into the ground, her forehead smacking into a rock. Blood bloomed over her eyes and she gasped in pain as she saw stars. She wriggled around and saw the long tongue of one of the large lizards from before around her foot before it exploded into smoke.

"Miyako!" Sayuri greeted happily as her teammate flew from the trees in a rain of senbon. "Can you take the animals if I take her?"

"I think so," Miyako nodded.

"Then let's go!" Sayuri said, leaping up from the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Aya screamed worriedly as she saw the two kunoichi coming for her.

"Great Breakthrough!" Miyako shouted in response. The wings of the large crane she'd conjured snapped backwards in the face of the harsh wind and it let out a pained caw before vanishing.

"Summoning Jutsu! Summoning Jutsu!" Aya yelled frantically. Miyako engaged with the bear, shooting up onto a branch and peppering it with weapons from a distance. Kiyomi dispatched Toshiro with a final, vicious roundhouse kick and spun, nailing a surprised tiger right in the butt. It yelped and jumped into the air almost comically. Kiyomi followed it and slit its stomach with a kunai. It exploded into smoke.

"I am so done with you!" Sayuri screamed, slamming her fist into Aya's stomach. The woman doubled over and coughed. Sayuri grabbed her by her shoulders and jerked her knee up into her side three or four times before spinning and kicking her into a tree. Aya hit it and bounced off, right back into Sayuri's fist. She grabbed Aya's arm and spun, hurling her into another tree. She grabbed the woman by her hair and slammed her forehead into the tree until she stopped struggling.

"Holy crap," Kiyomi said, blinking at Sayuri as she dropped Aya's body to the ground. "Uh… working out some issues there, are we Sayuri?"

Sayuri faced the body, tilting her head contemplatively. "I suppose I am a Kaguya after all."

"What do you mean by that?" Miyako asked hesitantly. Sayuri looked up at them and beamed. This was the most vicious fight she'd ever had. Her adrenaline was pounding and her heart was racing and she liked it. The truth was, she enjoyed fighting more than she should admit.

"I enjoyed that far more than I had any right too," she admitted shamelessly as she knelt beside Aya and began pawing through her equipment pouch. Inside was nothing but a few kunai and a single scroll.

"This isn't their scroll, is it?" she asked, holding it up in confusion. It seemed too small.

"No, that's not it," Kiyomi said, shaking her head. "See what's in it though. Might as well."

Sayuri unrolled the scroll and released it. More scrolls spilled out, some of them looking incredibly ancient.

"Whoa," Kiyomi breathed.

"What?" Sayuri asked impatiently. "What is it?"

"Summoning scrolls," Miyako whispered. "A lot of them."

Sayuri smiled and packed the scrolls away back in the smaller one. She tucked it into her equipment pouch.

"Spoils of war," she grinned at her teammates, who smiled back.

"You better share those!" Kiyomi insisted.

"I will," Sayuri assured her. "Meanwhile, look over Toshiro for their scroll."

"I have it!" Miyako perked up, pulling it out of her pouch. She held up a Heaven Scroll. "That Mai woman had it. She was really easy," Miyako admitted.

"Maybe they were trying to bluff, giving it to their weakest person," Kiyomi suggested.

"Either way… we're done," Sayuri said proudly. "We just have to get back to the tower."

"Don't you want me to tend to those first?" Miyako asked, looking at Kiyomi and Sayuri's wounds in concern. Sayuri undoubtedly had it worse off, her shoulder and chest sporting claw marks. Her leg had been smacked into by the tail of an _alligator_ of all things and one crane had taken a small chunk out of her forearm.

Kiyomi didn't look much better. Her right leg was a bit shaky after Toshiro kicked the side of her knee ruthlessly. Her nose was broken and her lip was split, plus there was a cut above her eye. Her forearms were red from repeated impact when she blocked and there would definitely be some serious bruises later on.

"Let's just go," Kiyomi sighed. "They probably have healers at the tower. Wouldn't do for anyone to show up and die of blood loss waiting for the rest of the teams."


	13. Pity

**Truth: She pitied him for the life he must lead.**

They got to the tower with little trouble.

"We did _awesome_." Kiyomi was grinning wearily at the dark sky. They'd started at about eleven, so it had only taken them seven hours out of five whole days.

"Here we go," Miyako said, gesturing to the door with a seal on it. "Do we go on in, do you think?"

"I suppose," Sayuri grunted as she pushed on the doors. The seal split and they stepped inside. The room was empty and made of tan stone slabs. There was a balcony running along the walls to the left and right, lined by iron bars. In the wall directly in front of them hung a tapestry.

"What's it say?" Miyako asked.

"What does what say?" Sayuri questioned impatiently.

"There's a tapestry," Kiyomi explained. "'If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When heaven and earth are open together, the pairless path will become righteous forever. This – _something _– is the secret way that guides us from this place today.'" She blinked. "Well that was nice and Zen, don't you think?"

"It's a riddle," Miyako mused.

"It's an obvious riddle," Sayuri said. "Why else would we need those scrolls?"

"You think we're supposed to open them now," Kiyomi nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

She knelt down on the ground and pulled out her Earth scroll, setting it on the ground. Miyako passed her the Heaven scroll and she laid it by the first one. With a quick flick of her wrist, Kiyomi unrolled both of them at the same time and stepped back.

There was a symbol of a man on the paper, and as they watched, it bulged and smoked. The cloud grew thick. A familiar shape appeared in the fog.

"Kotetsu!" Sayuri said in surprise.

"Hey, Lily-girl!" he greeted jovially. "And company," he added, winking at Kiyomi and Miyako, who giggled and blushed, respectively.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in confusion. "And don't call me Lily-girl!"

"Us chunin are supposed to greet you at the end of this section of the exam and tell you that you passed and impart some wisdom."

"And what would this wisdom be?" Kiyomi asked. She pointed to the tapestry. "I'm guessing it's got something to do with that?"

"Lord Hokage recorded them as principles for chunin to follow," Kotetsu nodded. "Heaven is your mind, earth is your body. If you're maybe not so smart, you should push to learn more. And if you're kind of weak, you should build up your strength. But if they're in harmony, then you're pretty much doing it right."

Kiyomi blinked. "Well, no offense to Lord Hokage, but… _duh!_ You don't want super-strong idiots or wimpy geniuses running around."

Kotetsu chuckled. "You're a blunt little thing, aren't you?"

"So I've been told," Kiyomi shrugged casually, not the least bit offended.

"Well, you guys finished pretty quickly," Kotetsu said. "There's only a few groups back already. Your team has a room here for you to stay in. I think Ayano's there now." He looked them over. "And you might want to hit up the infirmary, too. No offense, but you guys look like crap."

"We feel that way too," Miyako admitted shyly.

"Well, I've got other things to do. You guys got everything?" Kotetsu asked.

"Mind and body, hit the infirmary," Kiyomi nodded.

"Alright then," Kotetsu chuckled. "I'll be off. See you Lily-girl!"

"Don't call me that!" Sayuri snapped as he vanished from sight in a puff of smoke. She sighed, rubbing her nose. "That guy…"

"He's kind of cute," Kiyomi shrugged. "Just take the attention. Come on, I seriously want to see this infirmary he told us about."

It didn't take them long to find the place. There was no one inside but a couple med-nin, but there were a couple rumpled beds showing someone had at least been in for basic treatment lately.

"On a bed," ordered one of the med-nin. Each of the girls picked a bed and sat down.

"You look rough," Sayuri's med-nin said in surprise as Sayuri shrugged her shirt off. "Are those claw marks?"

"Summoning Jutsu," Sayuri growled in irritation, remembering Aya. "Several," she said, holding up her forearm as well.

There was a curse from the next bed as the med-nin popped Kiyomi's nose back into place. Sayuri kept quiet as her own was popped back into place. Miyako winced from her bed as the med-nin ran glowing hands across her cheek. Her only injury was a cut across her cheekbone from running through the trees frantically. A branch had whipped her across the face.

"Who'd you tick off, kid?" Kiyomi's medic asked in amusement as he looked at her bruised forearms and started healing them.

"No one important," Kiyomi growled.

They sat quietly as their many cuts and bruises were addressed, Sayuri's claw marks and the bite from the eagle's beak being the worst. They left faint scars in their wake.

"I could maybe do something about the one on your back?" the medic offered, pointing to the long scar crossing Sayuri's back. The stitches were gone and it had healed well, but there was still a long, ropy scar. Sayuri shook her head and shrugged her tattered shirt back on.

"Take this," Sayuri's med-nin said, handing her a cup. Inside were a few pills. She recognized a plasma pill and a standard pain killer. She took the plasma pill, but handed the painkiller back. The med-nin blinked.

"Uh… you really should…"

"She won't take it," Kiyomi called as she stood, waving off the med-nin as he tried to heal a bruise on her chest from one of Toshiro's kicks. "Just leave her."

"O-Okay," the med-nin said, startled.

"Are you guys ready?" Miyako asked, waiting patiently beside their beds. She'd only taken a second to patch up.

"Yeah," Kiyomi said, getting to her feet with a grunt.

"You've still got a couple more-"

"I'm fine," Kiyomi cut him off. Miyako and Sayuri blinked at her harsh tone and followed her out of the infirmary.

"What was that about?" Sayuri asked.

"He was getting handsy," Kiyomi grumbled. "Pervert."

Miyako and Sayuri exchanged glances, sure that wasn't it, but didn't comment.

"I think I see our room," Miyako said, pointing down the hall. Sure enough, there was a door with a little card on it. It had the Konoha symbol and Ayano's name. Miyako pushed the door open and they stepped inside.

The room was simple. It was just a pair of bunk beds with a bathroom attached. There was a chest by the foot of each bed.

"You guys are here!" Ayano grinned, sitting up from one of the bottom bunks. She swung her legs over the side and walked over to them, wrapping her arms around the three of them. Sayuri and Kiyomi winced. "You made it! And so fast!" she praised. "I told you guys you were ready! Now you've just got one stage left."

"There's more?" Kiyomi groaned, pulling away in favor of falling onto one of the beds.

"Yeah, but it's pretty straightforward," Ayano said, waving a hand absently. "You've totally got this from here on out."

"What's the next stage?" Miyako asked nervously.

"Can't say," Ayano admitted. "But it's simple, trust me. And hey, Kiyomi, quit bleeding on the bed sheets!"

"Sorry," Kiyomi apologized, standing up. She was no longer bleeding, but her clothes were somewhat less than fresh. She looked at the bathroom. "Is there a shower in there?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Ayano nodded. She pointed to the chests. "I grabbed some of your clothes so you'd have something to change into. Feel free to get cleaned up. You look like crap," she snorted.

"So we've heard," Sayuri said, finding a ladder and climbing up carefully. She perched on the footboard so she wouldn't get the sheets dirty and waited for Kiyomi to finish before claiming the next shower. She jumped down and eagerly took her turn before surrendering the last of the hot water to Miyako. They all stretched out on their beds to sleep after that.

The next morning, Miyako was the first awake. She crept carefully to the bathroom, trying not to wake anyone else, to brush her teeth and fix her hair. The others woke soon after though to the noise of Miyako getting ready. Sayuri threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She'd forgotten a very important thing though, and ended up falling several feet and smacking her face into the floor.

"Ow!" Sayuri yelped as she pushed herself to her knees. "Who put that there?"

"I think that time it was gravity," Kiyomi chuckled as she too climbed out of bed, but with considerably more grace. "And you just got your nose fixed too."

Sayuri grunted, wincing as she touched her nose. It was definitely broken again. She cursed under her breath and picked herself up. She quickly changed clothes, yanked her hair into something vaguely presentable, and gingerly brushed her teeth and washed her face.

"Off to the infirmary?" Ayano asked as she passed Sayuri on the way into the bathroom. She nodded irritably, pulling the towel she was clutching to her face away. She touched her nose in distaste. It was still bleeding.

"Kiyomi and I are going to explore," Miyako said. She looked her over worriedly. "Or do you want us to come too?"

"It's just a broken nose, I've had them before," Sayuri said dismissively. "Go on. I'll find you somewhere and if I don't, I'll be here."

"Very recently," Kiyomi snorted. "Seriously, two broken noses in two days?"

"Shut up," Sayuri grumbled as she pushed the door open. She followed the path back to the infirmary and pushed the door open. There was somebody resting in one of the beds, but otherwise it was still pretty empty. Sayuri wasn't surprised. It was only the beginning of the second day, after all. There was still a lot of time for people to show up.

"What happened?" asked the surprised voice of the same med-nin who had treated her yesterday.

"I don't want to talk about it," Sayuri grunted as she sat down on a bed. "Just fix it, please."

"'You should see the other guy,' right?" the med-nin said with a small smile. Sayuri's lips quirked.

"Seeing as 'the other guy' is an inanimate object, he's fine."

"Ah," the med-nin nodded. There was a pop as Sayuri's nose clicked back into place. A quick application of chakra healed the break and removed the bruising.

"Thanks. Again," Sayuri said as she stood, bloody towel clutched casually in hand.

"You're welcome," the med-nin replied, drifting over to check on the occupant of the bed. Sayuri didn't know who it was. She slipped out of the infirmary and considered heading out to find Kiyomi and Miyako, but decided she'd rather look at a few of those Summoning contracts with Ayano. They hadn't told her about them yet.

Sayuri was just getting lost in dreams of her team suddenly able to summon dozens of animals between them like Aya when she felt three chakra sources around the corner up ahead. They entered the same hallway and Sayuri realized it was Gaara, Kankuro, and that girl whose name she'd never gotten. Sayuri quirked her head to the side at an odd rustling sound, but disregarded it.

Kankuro knew they were in trouble the moment he saw that Konoha girl rounding the corner with a blood-stained towel in hand. Sure enough, Gaara's eyes had immediately locked on it and widened hungrily.

"No," Temari had tried to stop him feebly as the sand rushed towards her. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to notice, even though it was coming straight at her. Served her right for covering her eyes, Kankuro thought.

Something caught her around the ankle. Sayuri gasped and tried to rip free. Gaara and his group had stopped and were watching as she fought whatever it was. It was grainy and rough. It felt almost like sand. She recalled the gourd on Gaara's back. What that what he carried around in it?

Whatever it was, it grabbed her and flung her back into the wall, pressing her against it painfully. Sayuri quickly created her bone membrane, fighting off some of the crushing force of the sand.

"I want your name," Gaara rasped, standing in front of her.

"We don't always get what we want," Sayuri grunted in response. She gasped as the sand tightened its grip around her.

"I want your name," Gaara repeated. "And I want your blood!"

"Sorry," Sayuri replied. "I'm rather attached to my name, and my blood too. You can't have either."

"Why didn't you even try to dodge?" Kankuro asked out of curiosity, trying to diffuse the tension. It didn't seem to work. Gaara was still staring at her hungrily.

"I didn't see it," Sayuri bit out.

The girl chuckled. "That's what you get for wandering around with your eyes covered. Idiot."

"Temari," Kankuro hissed warningly, nodding at Gaara. The message was clear. This wasn't the time to poke fun. They had bigger problems.

Sayuri's long-suffering sigh was somewhat ruined by her wince. "Everyone assumes I'm just an idiot trying to look cool. Putting that aside, there's another rather obvious option that no one ever seems to pick."

"And what's that?" Gaara asked. She turned to face him.

"I'm _blind_."

A tendril of the sand worked up her face and Sayuri tensed. It worked under her hitai-ate and tugged it off. The headband hit the ground with a clatter, exposing her face.

"Whoa, she really is!" Temari said in surprise when her eyes didn't react at all to the sudden influx of light. "How'd you become a shinobi?"

"You know, oddly enough, I don't really feel like sharing my life's story with you three." Sayuri cursed as the sand compressed further. She was heedless of the pain as the sand scraped away a layer of skin on the side of her arm. It hurt like hell, but it didn't start bleeding.

Sayuri ripped one limb free and fired bones towards their general direction. She heard a scuffle and each one drilling into the opposite wall. Kankuro had no idea what she'd thrown or even where it had come from, so he went to one of the holes, carefully plucking it out. It was a white, vaguely hourglass shaped piece of-

"Is this bone?" Kankuro demanded, looking ill.

She smiled maliciously. "Distal phalanx, to be precise." She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. The sand grabbed her wrist and yanked it back against the wall.

"Let me feel your blood," Gaara hissed, stepping closer. "Let me feel alive!"

A prong of bone slid from Sayuri's palm. Temari made a retching sound as it squelched free. Sayuri leaned forwards against her bonds as well as she was able and whispered intensely, "You do not scare me, Sabaku no Gaara. You cannot crush me!"

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the girl. She was a scant few inches from him, pinned to the wall by his sand, and yet still she was pulling out weapons, still wasn't afraid. It wasn't in her eyes like it was in all the others when they beheld him. Then again, she couldn't see him, but she could certainly feel what he was doing. Did that make a difference? No, it didn't. He was right in thinking she was a threat.

"Stop!" boomed a voice.

The Hokage stood at the end of the hall, looking incredibly stern.

"Release her," he ordered.

Even Gaara wouldn't defy a Kage. The sand let her go and Sayuri dropped to the ground with a gasp, finally able to get a deep breath. She picked herself up. She swung her arm angrily and bones shot from her fingers. There were soft 'pff' sounds and she assumed the sand had blocked it. She growled softly in annoyance. He did that to her, and she couldn't even get in one good hit?

"Stop," the Hokage said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I will kill you," Gaara swore as the Hokage held her in place and he and the others walked away.

Gaara looked back at her, and even though she couldn't see his face, Sayuri could feel the bloodlust rolling off of him. The last time she'd felt something like this, the entirety of the Kaguya clan was preparing for battle, and it still wasn't this intense.

In a fit of rage, Sayuri reached down and scooped up the towel she'd been carrying and flung it at him furiously. "You want my blood so badly? Take it!" she snarled. Gaara caught the towel in one hand and kept walking. She let out a disgusted noise under her breath.

"That doesn't look good," the Hokage said, lifting her arm gently.

"I've already made one trip to the infirmary today, I'm not making another," Sayuri huffed. She shook her head. "I usually hate this word, but that little _freak!_" she spat angrily. She was shaking with rage and also shock. How could someone so young be so… _damaged?_

"It's not something for you to worry about," the Hokage assured her. "Return to your room and rest."

Sayuri nodded and did as she was told, re-entering her room. Miyako and Kiyomi were still there, sitting on the beds and talking with Ayano.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Ayano demanded, rising and walking over to her. She raised Sayuri's arm, touching the reddened skin. Sayuri winced. "Whoa. You really hided yourself there kid."

"Who did that?" Miyako asked angrily as she and Kiyomi walked over.

"Gaara," Sayuri spat out. "He pinned me to a wall with the sand from his gourd and kept demanding my name and my blood."

"That's sick!" Miyako exclaimed, looking horrified.

"The Hokage made him let me go," Sayuri explained. "He was trying to crush me with the sand." She placed a hand on her torso. "I'm going to have a monster bruise tomorrow."

"That makes me want to use Saiketsu," Miyako said with a startling snarl in her voice.

"Whoa, calm down there tiger," Kiyomi said, voice weak with surprise. "Uh… let's not go that far, huh?"

Miyako dipped her head, looking embarrassed by her outburst. She was fiercely protective, what could she say? Usually nothing in the world could persuade her to use Saiketsu in any kind of violent way, but right that moment, looking at Sayuri's arm, she wanted to go find Gaara and tear him apart.

Ayano looked murderous, and Kiyomi was furious, while Miyako looked horrified. They spent about an hour commiserating with Sayuri about the incident before Ayano quietly excused herself. The whole time Sayuri was thinking that she wasn't just livid at Gaara for attacking her out of nowhere like that. The truth was, she pitied him for the life he must lead.

* * *

Ayano knocked firmly on the door bearing the Suna mark, the name Baki written under it. The door was opened by a man with the top of his head wrapped in white, the end of the fabric covering the left half of his face. He was tanned and stern-faced and he looked at the Konoha kunoichi with surprise and a bit of disdain.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah. You've got a redheaded midget on your team, right?" Ayano demanded. Baki's eyebrows shot up and inside the room Temari and Kankuro gaped. Gaara himself looked up, glaring at the opposite wall. No one had ever dared to refer to Gaara as anything that insulting before. Then again, this woman looked like she was ready to rip someone's throat out with her fingers. Somehow, he thought he knew where this was going.

"I do," Baki nodded slowly.

"Okay then," Ayano snarled, letting out a deep breath. "You may not be aware of this, but that kid of yours attacked one of my girls in the hallway. I love all three of them like they were my own kids, so I'm a bit pissed about that. And the next time he so much as gives them a _dirty look_, never mind _attacks _one of them, he'll be dealing with _me_. I don't care if he is the Kazekage's son and it causes an international incident."

Baki looked at her, completely startled. "Who are you?" he asked, shocked that anyone would talk that way about Gaara. She had to know who he was, what he was, his reputation, and she was here threatening him.

In response, Ayano turned and drew a leg through the air, lightning lancing off of it and leaving a deep black scorch mark on the opposite wall.

"You're the famous Lightning Bolt of Konoha!" Baki realized. "'Izazuma' Ayano."

"Yeah, I am," Ayano nodded sharply. "You know what happens to sand when it's struck by lightning? It turns to glass. Let's see the kid play with that."

* * *

That night Sayuri lay in bed thinking. This would be one of the nights when she got little sleep, she could already tell. She blamed Gaara, for making her feel like Nigate for the first time in a long time. Her mind would not stop drifting from topic to topic, denying her rest.

Sayuri curled onto her side, holding her stomach and dipping her head as she got into her usual sleeping position. She basked in the presence of her team around her. She was so lucky to have these women in her life, and Satoru as well. They cared about her, something that for so long in her life had come from only one source, if at all.

Kimimaro….

The thought was never very far from her mind even if she didn't really give it a good thinking over often now. There were some times, though, when she'd be reminded of him by even the littlest of things and suddenly she could neither move nor breathe for grief. Even now, years later, the hole in her heart was still raw and gaping. She doubted it would ever heal, but she could soothe it with memories.

She remembered the shape of his face under her fingertips, the first time she could remember laughing, huddled there with him in the dark, whispered promises made in the flickering light of torches. Those little moments had been wonderful, the glowing bright spots of her life before she had to go and face the darkness of orders and mockery and fists.

She had changed a lot from knowing Kimimaro. He was the one who got her to stop using less formal language she'd always spoken in to keep from offending any of the Kaguya. He got her to smile and laugh. She remembered the first time she had ever complained about the Kaguya, whispering her anger and irritation to him in the dark, feeling at any moment she would be caught and beaten. Then he would shamelessly hiss back how he hated them for locking away and she'd gape at him, in awe of his bravery.

She had changed even more since coming here. It perhaps would be more accurate to say she'd become more like herself. She was free to express her irritation, her joy, her sadness, and her fears without any kind of retribution or mockery. Before she could do that only in the safe, stolen moments with Kimimaro.

Sayuri rolled onto her other side with a huff, curling tighter.

"I clearly need sleep," she whispered to herself. "I am becoming entirely too melancholy."

She didn't even realize she'd fallen into her old, formal way of speaking for a moment before she drifted off.

* * *

**Character design time! So way down the road, I'm going to need three Academy students with kekkei genkai from Suna. Leave me a review with a character design and a kekkei genkai. Feel free to come up with more than one character if the desire strikes you. I don't want any Hyuugas or Uchihas crawling out of the woodwork though, guys, and no Rinnegans appearing out of nowhere. Try and contain yourselves. Feel free to get creative though. Use a lesser-known kekkei genkai from the show if you want, or make up your own. However, if you design a character with, say, Haku's Ice Release, please include an explanation of how they made it to Suna. I want details! Names, personalities, how they look, how they dress (realistic please, no platform boots and fishnets) The winners of the five best designs will be announced in a couple chapter's time.  
**


	14. Inspiration

**Truth: That word went right into her and inspired her to do her best.**

On the day the third part of the exam started, Team 9 was escorted into another room that was very similar to the tapestry room in basic design. It had a balcony running the length of the room on each side, but this one was much larger, with a much higher ceiling. There was as statue of two hands folded into a sign at the head of the room. They were assembled in lines with the other teams.

"Alright now pay attention. Lord Hokage will explain the third exam!" Anko bellowed at the chunin hopefuls. She stood by the statue of the clasped hands with the other proctors, a few chunin who were there to administrate, the Hokage, and the genin's teachers.

The third test was quite simple compared to the last two. It was just a fight. As vicious a fight as you wanted, but nothing more than a one-on-one fight nonetheless. You were selected, paired with another random candidate, and you stepped into the ring. If you won, you moved on. If you lost, you were out of the running.

"Because of the number of teams that came through the Forest of Death," the Hokage continued, "one person will be fighting twice. If you should be selected and feel you are too injured to fight after your first battle, you are at liberty to bow out without repercussions and someone else will be selected, but only if you have already fought. The person who fights twice need only win won battle to move on.

The only real surprise was that Kabuto bowed out of the third exam

The battles were a mix of predictable and unexpected. Some people went in and really blossomed. Others failed dismally. Some went in cocky and came out on a stretcher. Some went in terrified and walked out under their own power, looking shell-shocked.

Anyone who knew him could have predicted it from the beginning when Sasuke stepped into the ring, though he did seem to have to struggle against the painful effects of… _something_, his inability to use his Sharingan, and his opponent's odd, chakra-sapping move. He dismantled his opponent, drawing on some odd power that send black marks racing across his skin, and seemed to fight with even more speed and skill than before. However, as soon as he stepped out of the ring, he was hustled away by some medic-nin for treatment, despite the fact that he was barely scratched.

Shino had the first fight against a Sound-nin, taking on Zaku. He was a surprising victor, but then again, he was fighting a disabled opponent. None of Team 9 had never witnessed the curious control he had over bugs, and they were admittedly surprised by how effective his techniques were. They never would have expected the advantages his bugs provided.

Kankuro proved himself to be quite capable in a fight. Sayuri and Kankuro's team were the only ones who weren't surprised when 'Kankuro' turned out to be a puppet, the boy himself hiding in the wrappings on his back they had all assumed contained a puppet. It was an ingenious bluff – after all, who expected their opponent was wrapped up in bandages?

It was clear that in some cases this wasn't just a fight for a higher rank. For several people, it was intensely personal, usually because of who they were paired with. Sakura and Ino were the most obvious examples, screaming at each other until Ino broke down, slicing off her own hair in an imitation of Sakura. They both showed they were more than pretty teenage girls. But in the end, though neither of them won and both were out of the running, the two ex-best friends seemed to be well on the road to reviving their long-lost friendship.

Tenten was interesting to watch for Miyako, who used weapons often in her own fighting, and not with nearly that amount of accuracy, or in that amount. However, her luck was bad, as she was to fight Temari, whose gigantic fan turned out to be the perfect foil to Tenten's sharp barrage. That fight was over fairly quickly, though it was intense while it lasted, showing that neither girl was to be trifled with. In fact, Neji and Lee seemed utterly shocked when Tenten lost.

"Miyako Hasekura vs Choji Akimichi!"

Miyako paled. "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god."

"Breathe," Sayuri said, grabbing her shoulders. "You're going to be fine."

Miyako was shaking as she stepped into the ring. She looked at the boy across from her. Threatening, Choji was not. In fact, he was probably one of the least-threatening competitors here. For a moment, Miyako felt good about herself, thinking she could do this. And then she promptly felt horrible and arrogant for thinking she was better than Choji.

"No hard feelings?" Miyako asked hopefully. Choji grinned weakly, looking as nervous as she felt.

"Yeah."

"Good," Miyako sighed in relief.

She made the first move, hurling a few kunai at Choji. He jumped out of the way. Miyako had a certain aptitude for dodging and bending around attacks, and she used her agility and flexibility to throw weapons from surprising directions. While she didn't deal in the sheer mass or accuracy Tenten did, Miyako's abilities were nothing to sneeze at.

"Human Boulder!" Choji cried. His body began to expand. Miyako's eyes widened as his arms, head, and legs disappeared inside his clothes so that he was completely spherical. Her jaw dropped as he started rolling. She yelped and scampered out of the way, pirouetting. Choji rolled past her and Miyako turned, tracking him with her eyes. She dodged and weaved, getting an idea of his maneuverability. Her eyes widened when he crashed into a wall with enough force to crack the stone.

"Why doesn't she attack?" Lee asked. His team was standing between Team 9 and Team Kakashi.

"Miyako doesn't like violence," Sayuri said, calmly adjusting her hitai-ate.

"Then she shouldn't have become a shinobi," Neji said shortly.

"Watch it Hyuga," Kiyomi said sharply.

"What did you say?" Neji's eyes narrowed at Kiyomi. He recognized her as the girl who stepped between Sasuke and him at the Academy and wasn't impressed. He was even less impressed with the display going on down in the arena.

Miyako jumped off of a wall, leaping over Choji as he collided with it with a smash. She rotated in the air and flicked her fingers. Choji's spinning stuttered, slowed, and stopped, leaving a very dizzy boy behind, staring in horror at thin air in front of him. Miyako winced as she landed on the ground, looking at Choji apologetically. She walked forwards and placed a kunai to his throat.

"Release," she said softly. Choji blinked and looked around blankly, not understanding what had happened for a moment. The prick of the kunai at his neck made him flinch, and he sighed.

"Miyako Hasekura is the winner," the proctor, Hayate Gekko, announced around a wet cough.

"She takes her time," Kiyomi said with a smile. "Miyako likes to analyze exactly what her opponent's capable of."

"And more importantly, she's kind," Sayuri said proudly. She faced Neji so he knew she was addressing him. "Any idiot can beat someone up. It takes a special kind of person to _help_ someone up."

Neji narrowed his eyes at her as well before recalling that it did him no good to make faces at her. He turned his eyes back to the ring and sure enough, Miyako had put her kunai away and was helping Choji to his feet.

"Besides," Kiyomi added. "She didn't even use her kekkei genkai. Otherwise, this would have been over in one move."

"I'm really sorry about that genjutsu," she apologized. "That wasn't very nice."

"Hey, it's a competition," Choji shrugged, and then winced. "But did you have to run me into so many walls?"

"Sorry for that too," Miyako apologized.

The two left the ring and return to their teams, Choji in disgrace and Miyako proudly.

"You done good, kid," Ayano said, giving her a big beam and ruffling her hair.

"Thank you," Miyako said, flushed with exertion and pleasure at the praise from her teacher.

"Good job!" Kiyomi grinned, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you," Miyako said, eyes glittering with a rare confidence. "I wasn't sure I could do it, but I did!"

"Nice going," Sayuri said with a smile as she hugged Miyako. "And you were worried," she whispered in her ear.

"You know me," Miyako murmured back. "I don't like it when I have to hurt people."

"Then you should be a diplomat," Sayuri said with a crooked grin as she pulled back.

The next fight was Kin, the only woman from Sound, vs Shikamaru, who proved himself worthy of his title of genius – and his title of Laziest Shinobi Ever. He didn't even knock out his opponent out himself. He tricked her into knocking herself out against the wall, cleverly manipulating her into a trap.

Team 9 watched with fascination as Naruto fought with Kiba. They weren't really sure who was going to come out on top there. They were both generally regarded as the punks of their class. Kiba had technique and Akamaru, but Naruto had pure force. In a sudden upset, Naruto won. It was rather touch and go for a large part of the fight, until Naruto proved himself surprisingly capable with tricks if the situation required it, and then he had Kiba on the ropes.

Hinata was another surprisingly emotional battle. No one expected the nervous, blushing, fumbling Hyuuga to do as well as she did, especially against her prodigy of a cousin. Their Byakugan were rendered a bit moot seeing as they didn't give them the same advantage as they would have against an opponent without one. The Gentle Fist style was impressive to watch, but in the end, as everyone expected, Hinata lost to Neji, almost losing her life in the process. The medic-nin appeared almost the instant the fight ended, and Naruto swore to defend Hinata.

And then Lee fought Gaara.

Team 9 had been all set to root for Lee after what Gaara had done to Sayuri. Lee came at Gaara with a series of powerful kicks and hits, his strong limbs hurtling through the air, but each and every time, they smacked against a wall of sand that rose to Gaara's defense. Gaara stood there with his arms crossed, glaring at the wall in front of him and not even seeming to notice that he was being attacked. He may have been small, but his defenses were nothing to joke about.

Lee was left a bloody mess on the floor, unable to move, unable to walk. Medic-nin escorted him out, giving Gai news that left him looking crushed. Neji remained in the room while Tenten and Gai hurried out after Lee worriedly, and Neji looked as if he would have quite liked to continue the fight.

"Sayuri Kaguya vs Neji Hyuga."

Neji's head snapped up. He'd already won his fight, but as he looked at Sayuri, he fully intended to beat her again. A blind girl? As if. He'd take her apart.

The two of them squared off in the arena, facing each other.

"I'm assuming you appreciate the irony?" Sayuri asked before they began.

"You're blind, while my eyes see better than anyone else's," Neji said, nodding in acknowledgement. "But that should prove to you beyond all doubt that you were destined to lose this fight. I'll give the option to surrender now."

Sayuri sighed. "Please don't start that destiny and fate business with me. Let me tell you something: if destiny is determined by our birth, then my birth as a blind Kaguya should have destined me a very short life, and likely death by drowning. If they were feeling kind, they would have just left me in the woods for the animals. However, I survived when perfectly healthy children died among the Kaguya, and here I am. So please, believe what you want, but don't throw it in my face. I'm not interested."

Neji set his jaw. "Fine then. You've sealed your fate."

"Forgive me if I don't tremble in fear."

"Byakugan!"

The two clashed. Neji's Gentle Fist style was a taijutsu technique, which was Sayuri's strength. She blocked him blow for blow, diverting his attacks to the side with sweeps of her arms and legs, never letting him connect. Neji was honestly surprised she managed to keep up with him so well, considering she couldn't see his attacks.

The two circled, legs and arms flying in an impressive display.

"Kick his butt, Sayuri!" Naruto shouted down. Sayuri made the mistake of allowing the shout to distract her and Neji saw this, making him move.

Her head lashed to the side as Neji punched her. He stepped back, pleased. Sayuri touched her cheek softly, feeling the red spot.

"You're weak," Neji said confidently, and Sayuri stiffened. His Byakugan noticed the little movement and he jumped on it. "You know it too, don't you? You're blind. You have no right to try and become a ninja when we all know you will never be as good as someone who can see."

"S-Say that again," Sayuri stammered, face tilted to the ground, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Weak," Neji hissed.

"Y-You know," Sayuri whispered. Her head snapped up, a wide grin crossing her face. She reached up, raising her hitai-ate so it covered her forehead, revealing her eyes and markings. Her eyes were alight with mischief and enjoyment brought on by adrenaline. The truth was that that word went right into her and inspired her to do her best. "I'm starting to understand why the Kaguya so love fighting. The danger of it, the adrenaline… I'm starting to like it myself." She chuckled, shaking her head. "I want you to look me in the eyes when I knock you on your ass Neji Hyuga. I am _not_ weak, and you're going to _pay_ for calling me that. I think it's time to take things up a notch."

She unzipped her shirt and shrugged it off, readying to use her bones. All around the arena, eyes widened as Sayuri shucked her shirt. Even Neji was visibly startled. The whole front of her torso was mottled blue, black, purple, and yellow. Her team was grim-faced as it was revealed, and Ayano's face was murderous. Across the arena, Gaara smiled viciously at his handiwork, the cool colors spread across pale skin.

Neji ruthlessly attacked again, and kept going, pushing himself forwards, fingers striking the chakra points across her body. He attacked viciously, striking the darkest spots among the bruising when Sayuri made no move to defend herself. She just stood there, taking the hits.

"What are you doing?" Naruto shouted at her. "Move!"

"Sayuri, he'll kill you!" Sakura warned.

"She is crazy," Lee concluded.

Neji paused. His hand was stuck. His eyes widened in shock as he saw what had a hold of him. Rib bones, bursting from the front of Sayuri's chest, had caught and held him by the wrist. Sayuri tilted her head to look at his fingers brushing against her breast.

"You know, normally I'd slap you for this, but I suppose I did bring it on myself," she said with a casual shrug. "You're not the only one with a kekkei genkai. My Shikotsumyaku allows me to freely manipulate the bones in my body. I can even make a shell of bone under my skin that's harder than steel. In another words, hard enough to block your strikes to my chakra points."

Neji ripped his hand free and jumped back, eying her with a new respect. Sayuri rolled her shoulder and it gave a loud pop. A bone burst through the skin. Sayuri grabbed it casually and tugged it out of her shoulder, swinging it out to reveal a sword.

Now there was a new tenseness as the two clashed. Sayuri was definitely giving Neji a workout. He now had to dodge expert sweeps and jabs from her sword. She was as fast as he was, and while she might not be as strong physically, Sayuri made up for it in sheer determination, pressing him viciously. And soon it began to pay off.

"She is actually doing it," Lee breathed, watching in awe. "She is actually beating Neji."

"Now who's got the kickass students, huh Gai?" Ayano teased.

Neji made the mistake of trying to kick her away, to get a bit of distance and time to use his Eight Trigrams. However, he came just a bit to close.

"Larch Dance!"

Bones shot from Sayuri's body like some macabre kind of porcupine and she started to spin. Neji couldn't redirect his attack in time and he connected with the spines, being punctured over and over as she spun.

Sayuri stopped her spinning as Neji staggered back, blood dripping from a dozen minor wounds. The bones retreated inside her skin, leaving her with just her sword.

"You're tough," Sayuri said when she noticed Neji was still standing.

"I told you. It is your destiny to lose this fight," Neji ground out, although the blood loss was starting to get to him a bit.

"Oh, put a sock in it," Sayuri snapped. "Camellia Dance!"

On a good day, Neji would have been able to block each and every one of the strikes. But they came from such random places, the sword slicing in at such unexpected angles, which was the secret of this attack. He fought hard to block every single one of them, but pain and blood loss wore on him, and she just kept coming. Finally, one strike slipped through, but the Camellia Dance was designed so that one strike was all it took.

At the last second, to keep from killing him, Sayuri twisted the sword. Instead of taking him through the neck, it stabbed through his shoulder. Sayuri swung him around by the blade in his shoulder and Neji shouted in pain as she dropped him with a kick to the knee, the sword sliding into the ground below like it was butter, pinning him in place.

"Sayuri Kaguya is the winner of this match."

Neji looked up and met her eyes, conceding his defeat. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps she was not destined to lose today. Perhaps her kekkei genkai saved her from that. It was certainly formidable.

Ssayuri readjusted her hitai-ate, dropping it back into its usual place over her eyes. Her sword was sucked back into her arm as she walked up the stairs and back to her team. She pulled her shirt back up, zipping it to cover the worst of the bruising.

"You totally kicked his ass!" Kiyomi cheered, grabbing Sayuri in a hug. "Way to go Sayuri! That was awesome!"

"You did really well," Miyako agreed, taking Sayuri's hands in her own when Kiyomi released her.

"I'm proud of you, kid. You did amazing," Ayano said proudly.

Neji was removed from the ring on a stretcher, looking bloody and incredibly pissed as he was carted off for medical treatments. He had a lot of stab wounds that would need to heal.

"After this, we're going out to celebrate," Kiyomi said happily. "And we're gonna-"

"Kiyomi Arita vs. Dosu Kinuta."

Kiyomi paused, eyes widening slightly.

"You go," Miyako encouraged her. "You'll be great!"

"Make me proud," Ayano said with a grin. Sayuri nodded at Kiyomi as she descended into the ring.

Kiyomi sized her opponent up. He was hunched over, but his center of gravity was pretty low, so he was still stable. His face was wrapped in bandages and the ends of his sleeves flopped over his hands. Probably not a close-range fighter then. Kiyomi smiled slightly. Good. She'd keep him on edge.

"Fireball Jutsu!" Kiyomi shouted as soon as the match began, starting things off with a bang and her most frequent move.

Dosu wove to the left and Kiyomi cut him off with a bunch of senbon. She came at him as he moved in the opposite direction, throwing punch after punch.

"No, no, no," Sayuri was cursing in the stands.

"What's wrong?" Ayano asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember Miyako?" Sayuri asked. "At the first part of the exams… The Sound-nin attacked Kabuto. They didn't even hit him, but he still-"

Miyako's eyes widened in horror. "No, it can't be!" she whispered in fear, gnawing her lips in worry. "Kiyomi…"

Kiyomi was confident in her attack plan as she leapt back from Dosu and shouted, "Fireball Jutsu!" once more. She jumped over the attack, intending to come at him from above. Her eyes widened when the fire seemed to part around Dosu and he sailed through, unscathed, sleeves pulled back and revealing some kind of metal contraption on his arm.

Dosu halted his lunge through the fire with a foot on the ground, redirecting his momentum to fling himself into the air with Kiyomi. Her eyes widened as he tried to punch at her and she twisted madly, ducking under his attack, but something still washed over her and she hit the ground sloppily.

Kiyomi suddenly swayed. _What…?_ It was like she couldn't find her balance even though she knew her feet were planted on the ground. Or were they? Were they on the wall? Or maybe the ceiling? Wait, no… Yes? Nausea rose up, roiling in her gut. Kiyomi staggered, eyes wide. Her feet were like lead, they didn't seem to be going where she directed them. She toppled, panting, to her hands and knees as she fought not to throw up.

"My attacks affect the inner ear, destroying your sense of balance," Kinuta bragged. "There's no way you can fight now."

"I- can," Kiyomi grunted, struggling to get to her feet. She made it upright and tried to take a step, fist pulled back to punch. She hit the ground on her knees and groaned, holding her stomach and trying to keep from throwing up.

"Dosu Kinuta is the winner," the proctor announced.

Kiyomi closed her eyes and lowered her head. Dosu strode past her confidently, headed for his team. The medics came and collected Kiyomi, hauling her off to the infirmary.

The victors were lined up in front of the Hokage, and he explained the third exam to them. Essentially, it was the same as what they'd just done, only they had a month to prepare and get stronger. Whoever passed and became chunin would be chosen by a panel. They drew lots to see who would fight who in the brackets. Miyako would apparently be fighting Temari, and whoever won that fight would go up against the victor of Shikamaru's fight with Dosu. Sayuri found herself facing whoever won Naruto's fight with Neji.

* * *

Sayuri, Miyako, and Ayano approached the bed where Kiyomi was laying.

"She'll be fine," the medic assured them. "Just give her a few days for her balance to come back fully and she'll be fine."

"Thanks," Ayano said, dismissing her as they gathered around Kiyomi's bed.

"I failed," Kiyomi whispered. Her eyes were closed tightly, her hands fisted. "I didn't pass. I choked."

"Hey, you couldn't have known what that guy was capable of," Ayano encouraged. "I've never seen anything that crazy before either."

"But it's not like I'll be going into every fight knowing what my opponent can do!" Kiyomi protested. "I won't know, more often than not. I thought I had him, but…. One move," she whispered, opening her eyes. She looked crushed. "He took me out in _one move."_

"None of the fights were easy," Sayuri said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Miyako fought Choji!" Kiyomi snorted. "She was guaranteed a win! And you… you wiped the floor with that Hyuga."

"Choji's not as weak as everyone thinks he is," Miyako countered, but it was a weak argument.

"Neji had already fought, he was tired." Sayuri's grip tightened in a show of support. "I bet things would have been different if-"

"Sayuri!" Kiyomi snapped, shoving her hand away. Sayuri froze. This was all too horribly similar to that day they fought once before, when Miyako had to break them up. "Hard as it may be for you to believe, I don't want you to sit here and tell me what would have gone down if so-and-so hadn't happened. The fact is, it happened, okay? That's it. I lost. I'm out of the running. I'm going to be left behind while you guys run off and become chunin!" Kiyomi was shouting by now.

Hesitantly, Sayuri asked, "Are you worried about what your father will say?"

Kiyomi's eyes hardened. "Get out."

Miyako tried, "Kiyomi-"

"_I said get out!"_ Kiyomi snapped.

"Come on ladies, let's let her rest," Ayano said, grabbing their shoulders and guiding them away from the bed.

"I didn't mean to make her angry," Sayuri said, her voice small. "I just blurted it out… I wasn't thinking…"

"It doesn't matter," Ayano said, shaking her head. "She's just angry right now, and disappointed in herself. She'll come around."

"I hope so," Miyako murmured worriedly.

* * *

**Sorry I was so late getting this up. I angered the fan fiction gods or something, because every time I tried to get on I got an error message. So here's this week's update!**

**Also, the results of the character submission contest. The winners are:**

**Mayumi Ki, courtesy of December 25th**

**Harumi Kazeno, courtesy of Himeno kazehito**

**Atsumori Kogara, courtesy of December 25th**

**Atami Taiyohono, courtesy of Sleep Arypsure**

**Gidayu Kijimuta, courtest of December 25th**

**I may have use for more characters later on though, so if you have any good ideas, let me know and I might use them. I'll give you credit just like the guys above, don't worry ;) And from now on I don't need characters with kekkei genkai, they can just be your average ninja on the street!**

**ALSO! I have a new poll up on my profile for what pairing you'd like me to write for my next stories. I've got ideas going everywhere plot wise but I'm not sure what pairing I like best for the story. Either one works. Just let me know!**


	15. Trust

**Yeah, okay, I had to do it. I'm sorry. The meanings of the animals relate to their user's personality as I found them on this one website. Oddly enough, most of the ones I'd already picked fit. I threw the alligator in for kicks and giggles and yet, it fit pretty well too. So, just real quick:**

**Alligators: self-serving, can lie and wait and then attack viciously with destructive speech. Kiyomi, when she wants too, can have a pretty vicious mouth on her. **

**Bear: strength and an overbearing personality, can crush another with a look or word. Kiyomi's trying very hard to be as strong as possible and yeah, she's kind of got an overbearing personality.**

**Lizard (komodo dragon): lack of scruples, safety, welfare. Sayuri will do what it takes to protect the people she cares about, even if it isn't good.**

**Cougar: quiet strength and wisdom. Yeah, Miyako's smart and she doesn't flaunt her strength, but when it comes down to it, she can seriously kick butt and take names.**

**Crane: wisdom, longevity, inquisitiveness. Miyako likes learning things.**

**Eagle: this was the symbol of Zeus, who's also in charge of lightning. Ayano deals with lightning… yeah, I pulled that out of my head. **

**Tiger: energy, maternal instinct, severe and aggressive. Yeah, so Sayuri's not a push-over, and like before she's protective and caring… towards people she likes. **

* * *

**Truth: She didn't trust Kiyomi right now.**

"Alright ladies, today we're having a bit of fun," Ayano grinned. She held up a scroll.

"That's the one we took from Aya!" Kiyomi recalled. Three days after the exam and she was out of the hospital and angry that she was out of the running, but she was still there for training, like always, and with a determined, if slightly subdued, glint in her eyes.

"Now I'm normally not one for this, but in this case, it's totally deserved," Ayano said, opening the scroll and spreading it on the ground. "The the victors go the spoils," she said smugly.

"You mean… We're going to sign a Summoning contract?" Miyako asked, eyes wide as she beheld all of the scrolls.

"Bears, cougars, eagles, tigers, komodo dragons, and I think there's an alligator in there too, but don't quote me on that," Ayano recited. "Everybody pick two."

"Why not just sign contracts with all of them?" Kiyomi asked, eyes glimmering curiously.

"By having different animals up your sleeves you'll function better as a team," Ayano explained.

Sayuri knew that was a weak explanation covering for the fact that Ayano didn't want them to rely on Summonings, which were costly in chakra, like Aya had. But Ayano was giving off 'don't question me vibes,' so they each moved forwards.

"Do you have a Summoning contract with anything?" Miyako asked Ayano, who nodded.

"Eagles," she grinned. "Flying. It's awesome, kids."

"I want the bears," Kiyomi said, recalling how strong and ferocious they were in the fight. "And… and the alligators!"

"First come, first serve," Ayano said, scooping the requested scrolls up under her arms and passing them to Kiyomi, who took them eagerly.

"I'd like to take the crane," Miyako said softly. "I'd like to fly sometimes. It would be good for transport if one of us was down."

"Logical," Ayano approved as Miyako leaned down and gathered up the scroll, grabbing the cougar as well.

"Komodo dragon and tiger for me then, I suppose," Sayuri smiled.

"Is that okay?" Miyako asked worriedly. "I didn't take one you wanted, did I?"

"First come first serve, like Ayano said," Kiyomi shrugged carelessly.

"No, Miyako, it's fine," Sayuri assured her, but her smile was a bit weak as she contemplated Kiyomi's words. They were a bit harsh, and unexpected. Kiyomi had seemed a bit off since she lost the competition, and Sayuri hoped it was just determination and not something worse. She prayed Kiyomi wasn't catching hell from her father when she already felt bad enough. But the truth was, she didn't trust Kiyomi right now.

"So how does this work?" Kiyomi asked. She was sitting on the grass with her two scrolls unfurled on the ground in front of her. She wrinkled her nose at the reddish writing on it. "Is that… blood?"

"Yep," Ayano said, nodding cheerfully, undaunted. "Here's how it works. First, you take your scroll, like so." Sayuri and Miyako hastily unrolled their scrolls and knelt in front of them. "Then, the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints."

"That's a bit gross," Sayuri said, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"That's how it works," Ayano shrugged. "I don't make the rules. So, go ahead, sign your name on the dotted line. I'd recommend pricking a finger for blood. A bit easier to write that way."

"It's kind of creepy you've got a technique for writing in your own blood," Kiyomi pointed out. "You get that, right?"

"Shut up and write your name," Ayano grumbled. The girls did as they were told, pricking their index fingers and scrawling their names out on the scrolls and smearing blood onto their other fingers for the prints.

"So how do we actually do the Summoning?" Sayuri asked, popping her finger into her mouth and sucking the blood away.

Ayano outlined the hand signs necessary. "Just a small donation of blood and then that's it," she explained. "It has to be from the same hand as the fingerprints on the scroll though. Most people just bite their thumbs. Example." Ayano brought her thumb to her mouth and bit her thumb. A drop of blood dripped down as she made the hand signs. There was a burst of smoke and from it appeared an eagle easily taller than Ayano. "This is Washibi, my personal Summon," Ayano grinned, stroking the eagle's wing fondly.

"A pleasure to meet you," the eagle said, jerking its head up and down in an approximation of a nod. The beak distorted the words slightly, but they were still intelligible, the sentence ending in a sharp click.

"It talks!" Miyako exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, and I fly too," the bird said tartly, giving her as much of an unamused expression as it was capable of.

"And he does darling floral arrangements in his spare time!" Ayano added brightly.

"Why do I put up with your antics?" the eagle sighed.

"Come on, you know you like me," Ayano grinned, elbowing it lightly.

"Yes, that's why I've scheduled an appointment with my therapist."

"Oh, go on you big buzzard," Ayano huffed, looking put out. Washibi ruffled his feathers in offense.

"Buzzard?" he repeated indignantly. "I come from a long line of proud eagles, you impertinent little kunoichi!"

"I know, I know," Ayano sighed. "We've had this conversation before."

"Buzzard," Washibi grumbled one last time before vanishing in another puff of smoke.

"As you can see, some of them are more agreeable than others," Ayano explained. "The summons have distinct personalities within their species. You'll probably soon find one who you like more than others, that you can use as your personal summons. In other words, your go-to summon. You may use weaker or stronger summons for different situations. Like for instance, if I was just carrying groceries and had a lot of shopping, I might break out Washibi's nephew, Washito."

"So there's more than one of each?" Miyako asked.

"Oh yeah," Ayano snorted. "There's tons. They've each got their own little safe zone around the world where they live when they're not being summoned. Take Jiraiya's famous toads. They hang out on Mount Myoboku."

"Who's Jiraiya?" Kiyomi asked blankly.

"He's one of the sannin, three legendary shinobi from Konoha," Sayuri explained. "The Toad Sage."

"Right-o. Now hop to it. Try and summon something," Ayano encouraged. "Don't be mad if you can't do it right away."

Ayano wasn't kidding. It was surprising how hard it was to summon something. It required staggering amounts of chakra and was very rigorous. They struggled not to give it too little, and summon something wimpy, while not giving it too much, and summoning something that could squash them.

Miyako got it first, squawking in surprise as a small crane appeared perched on her shoulder. It nibbled her ear fondly and fluttered its wings.

"Hi!" it chirped.

"That's barely a hatchling," Ayano complained. The crane gave an indignant cry and lunged off of Miyako's shoulders, battering Ayano around the head with its wings.

"Ah! Miyako, get rid of it!" Ayano shrieked as she ran in circles, trying to bat the crane away. Sayuri and Kiyomi hid their smiles as their teacher fled from the bird.

"Uh, go away please?" Miyako said weakly. The crane vanished in a puff of smoke and Ayano straightened, tugging her shirt back into place, her turquoise hair looking rather the worse for wear.

"Well, that was exciting," she grunted. "Let's keep an eye on those cranes, eh? Touchy buggers-"

"I got it!" Kiyomi cried in delight as there was a puff of smoke in front of her. It cleared, revealing a full-grown, if somewhat small, bear in front of her.

"What do you wish, mistress?" the bear asked, lowering its front half to the ground in a sort of bow.

"Uh…?" Kiyomi replied blankly.

"Uh?" the bear questioned, looking up at her hopefully.

"Uh… You can go?" Kiyomi tried. The bear looked disappointed.

"Yes, mistress."

"I think you hurt its feelings," Miyako pointed out.

"That was a pretty wimpy bear," Kiyomi complained. "It wasn't threatening like Aya's."

"Aya was an exception, not the rule," Ayano scolded. "Now keep trying. Put more chakra into it, come on!"

After a few minutes later, Sayuri finally got it, crying out in delight when a komodo dragon about ten feet in length appeared, tail swishing across the ground behind it.

"Ah, a new master," it rumbled, looking vaguely pleased. He seemed to stumble over its words a bit, slurring and hissing them as his tongue darted in and out casually, independent of what he was saying. "Good, it was time for new management. The last one was a bitch. You're a lot hotter, you know, for a human." He gave her a sly wink and Ayano and Kiyomi burst out laughing as Miyako flushed. Sayuri's eyebrows went up in surprise.

"Thanks… I think?"

"No, thank _you_," the komodo dragon said, twisting his head to the side and blatantly checking out her rear. Sayuri hastily turned so he couldn't see. He shrugged as well as a komodo dragon could. "There's stuff to admire up front too."

"Looks like you finally found a boyfriend, Sayuri," Kiyomi snorted as Sayuri blushed a color reminiscent of her markings.

"Name's Dokumo," he said. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Sayuri said tensely. "I'm Sayuri."

"How come you got a good one right off the bat?" Kiyomi complained. Sayuri shrugged.

"I'm good at chakra control?" she tried. "I just hit the sweet spot, I guess."

"Not the only sweet thing here."

"Okay, you need to go," Sayuri said tartly.

"Aw," Dokumo complained as he vanished in a puff of smoke. Just before he was gone, he whirled around, his tail smacking her butt sharply. Sayuri jumped with a yelp, hands flying to cover herself.

"Pervert!" she screamed, but he was already gone.

"Well, I think Sayuri wins in terms of most interesting summon today," Ayano chuckled.

"Pervy lizard," Sayuri grunted under her breath.

"We can pick this back up tomorrow," Ayano continued. "You don't have to break out the boss summons the first time, girls. No one's gonna expect that out of you at this level. You flat-out don't have the chakra needed for heavy-duty stuff like that."

"How long until we do?" Kiyomi asked interestedly.

Ayano shrugged. "Depends on how hard you work. Maybe in a year, maybe never. See you guys tomorrow."

"You got any plans after here?" Kiyomi asked Sayuri as they began to disperse.

"I was going to go to the hospital," Sayuri admitted. Kiyomi looked at her blankly.

"Why?" she asked slowly.

"The Konoha people there. I wanted to check in and see how they were doing."

"What, Neji and Lee?" Kiyomi said in surprise. "Come on Sayuri, they're the enemy!"

"That doesn't mean I don't still feel bad," Sayuri countered. "I really put the smack down on Neji and he lost a lot of blood. I feel bad. I mean, we're on the same side, and Lee's… well, you know," she finished softly. They all paused for a minute, recalling the news that Lee would no longer be able to be a shinobi. It was startling to see someone so powerful go from the top of his game to completely out of the running in the course of one fight.

"Well, I don't get it, but whatever," Kiyomi shrugged. She made a face. "Dad wants me home to help clean the kiln, or it'll be another long night of him screaming at me."

"See you tomorrow."

"See you."

"Can I come with you?" Miyako asked hopefully as she trailed after Sayuri. "I feel bad about Choji. Did you know he's still in the hospital?"

"Really?" Sayuri blinked in surprise. "I didn't think you did anything that rough to him."

"I didn't either," Miyako said worriedly. "I guess I don't know my own strength as well as I thought. Should we take them something?" she asked.

"Ino's parents shop is right there. We could take them flowers?" Sayuri suggested, pointing.

"How did you know that?" Miyako asked in surprise.

"I've pretty much memorized the layout of Konoha in my three years here," Sayuri explained. "Plus, it smells like a bouquet threw up or something all down this street."

"I see," Miyako said, giggling a bit at her phrasing. "I like it, let's get some."

They entered the shop and were immediately enveloped in the smell of flowers.

"Hey guys!" Ino greeted from behind the counter.

"Hey Ino," Miyako smiled. "How are you?"

"Good," Ino said. "I wish I was prepping for the chunin exams with the rest of you guys. But I'm kind of enjoying the break too. So, what can I help you with?" she asked.

"We were going to go to the hospital," Sayuri began. Ino held up a hand to stop her.

"Say no more! Sakura's been coming in every now and then," Ino explained. "So, who are you going to see?"

"I heard Choji was still in the hospital. I felt kind of bad about it," Miyako admitted. "I didn't mean to do that much damage."

Ino scoffed. "You didn't. He got out the day after the exam. He just got sent right back with some kind of stomach problems."

Mitako's eyes widened in understanding and relief. "Oh! Oh, that's good to hear. Not that he's in the hospital!" she added hastily. "But that… I didn't… put him there," she trailed off awkwardly.

"We figured we'd stop in and see Lee and Hinata too, and I was going to give Neji an olive branch," Sayuri shrugged.

"Hinata's being treated privately by the Hyugas," Ino replied. "From what I hear they don't let a lot of outsiders into the Hyuga compound. You should probably just talk to her at the third part of the exam.

"Okay," Sayuri agreed.

"That was a pretty impressive fight," Ino recalled. "You were really tough on Neji."

"He was tough on Hinata," Sayuri said grimly.

"Yeah…."

They all fell silent, remembering the many less-than-stellar moments that had happened at the preliminaries. Lee, Neji, Hinata, Tenten…

"I know Sakura's been taking Lee daffodils," Ino said, changing the topic to something less depressing.

"Great, we'll take some of those, I guess," Sayuri said.

"No, no!" Ino said, waving her hands frantically. "You don't understand! You can't all give him the same thing, that totally defeats the purpose."

Sayuri blinked slowly, for effect. "Don't follow…"

"If he gets different flowers then he can see how many people are supporting him by the different kinds. It's totally a psychological thing," Ino explained matter-of-factly. Sayuri and Miyako both blinked at her. "Yeah, that's right, not just a pretty face," she said smugly, then giggled, "Although I am that. Here, let me find some appropriate ones for you. Sayuri, you're giving one to Neji and Lee, and Miyako, you're doing one for Choji?"

"Yes," Miyako agreed, and Sayuri nodded.

Ino drifted off into the shop, plucking out a few single flowers, contemplating them, occasionally pairing them with another flower, and then shaking her head. When she returned to the counter, Ino handed Sayuri two flowers. "The nasturtium for Lee means victory."

"But he didn't win," Sayuri said in confusion.

"It's metaphoric," Miyako guessed. "Like a victory over his injury, get back on his feet. Basically, encouragement."

"Exactly," Ino nodded approvingly. "I seriously considered giving you a camellia for Neji, but I figured that would be in poor taste."

Miyako frowned worriedly, recalling Sayuri's technique. "Probably not."

"Yeah, so I went with the purple hyacinth. It's perfect, literally a request for forgiveness."

"What about the dandelion?" Sayuri asked, gesturing to the flower she'd handed Miyako.

"I'm getting there! They mean happiness. I figured that was probably a good one for Choji."

Pleased with Ino's work – she hadn't crossed any lines that shouldn't be crossed – the two girls paid for their flowers and walked off towards the hospital, holding them in hand.

"These are pretty," Sayuri said, her face surprisingly soft as she buried her nose in the flowers.

"I didn't know you liked flowers that much," Miyako said in surprise.

"Love them," Sayuri said sorrowfully. Miyako's brows rose.

"You… don't sound that way."

"They just remind me of…"

"Kimimaro," Miyako guessed when Sayuri trailed off. Miyako was familiar with the basics of Sayuri's relationship with Kimimaro. She knew how they'd met, she knew they were close friends, and she knew he'd died, but that was it.

"I used to carve him flowers and bring the carvings and the real ones to his cell to ask how they compared," Sayuri recalled wistfully. "I gave every last one to him. When I left, I took them."

"Are those the ones in your room?" Miayko asked in surprise. On Sayuri's windowsill were arrayed a series of carved wooden flowers on a pricey piece of crimson silk. She'd tried to touch them once, thinking they were just pretty trinkets, only for Sayuri to snap at her to never touch them. She'd asked Satoru later on if she'd done something wrong, and he'd just said that Sayuri didn't let anyone touch them, not even him.

Sayuri nodded and fell silent, slightly melancholy. She heaved a sigh and pushed up her hitai-ate onto her brow, running a hand across her eyes wearily.

They entered the hospital and got the room numbers for each of the people they wanted to see. Choji was closest and probably had the least potential for dramatic or depressing events, so they stopped there first.

"Whoa, I've got a lot of visitors today!" Choji said in surprise when he saw them come in. "Shikamaru just left. Hey Miyako," he greeted with a grin. "Sayuri."

"Hi Choji," Miyako said, shuffling forwards. She shyly handed him the dandelion, cheeks adorably pink. She'd never given flowers to a guy before, and now here she was, giving three in one day. "Ino said they represent cheerfulness. I wanted to apologize to you about the fight."

"I told you, it's no big deal," Choji assured her. "Just the luck of the draw, you know?"

"I know," Miyako nodded, smiling in relief that he wasn't angry. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Apparently it's just indigestion," Choji said carelessly. His face went grim. "Nothing like what Lee's got."

Miyako mused, "We're heading there after Neji."

"You're gonna go see Neji?"Choji asked, looking at Sayuri in surprise, who shrugged in response.

"Sayuri feels guilty," Miyako whispered in explanation.

"I see," Choji nodded. "Well, I won't keep you guys. Go ahead and make your rounds. Thanks for the flower, Miyako, it's nice."

"You're welcome," Miyako smiled in reply as she opened the door.

"Feel better," Sayuri wished, speaking for the first and only time as they left. This was Miyako's visit, not hers.

"Neji should be right down the hall," Miyako said thoughtfully, peering around the corner. "Yeah, I see it. I wonder why he's here and Hinata's at the Hyuga compound getting special treatment?"

"Maybe because she'd the next head?" Sayuri guessed. "Or because she was injured by the Hyuga's technique? They probably know more about how to treat it."

"That's true," Miyako agreed, opening the door.

"What do _you_ want?" Neji snapped when he saw them. He was shirtless, his torso and arms wrapped in bandages, a blanket over his lap.

"We come in peace," Sayuri said. This time she moved forwards and Miyako remained by the door, blushing slightly at Neji's state of undress. Sayuri offered him a flower. "Here. Purple hyacinth. According to Ino, they're a request for forgiveness. I figured it was appropriate."

"That's not purple hyacinth," Neji snorted, staring at the nasturtium she was offering him.

"It's not?" Sayuri cursed softly and lifted the flowers to her nose, smiling in satisfaction as she plucked out the right one and offered it to him. "Sorry about that."

"What makes you think you deserve forgiveness?" Neji demanded. Sayuri raised an eyebrow.

"The fact that I feel really bad about the fact that I put you in here and I'm sorry for it?" she tried.

"And you think a _flower _will get my forgiveness?"

Sayuri sighed. "You know, you're a pushy little thing. If you want, you can come over to my place for dinner sometime?"

"Sayuri's a really good cook," Miyako put in from the doorway. "Her food's really delicious." She immediately regretted her actions as Neji turned his pupilless lavender eyes on her, letting out a nervous squeak.

"It's inappropriate for a man and a woman to dine alone," Neji said stiffly, looking back at Sayuri.

She scoffed. "As if. Don't flatter yourself. I've heard you're pretty, but I have no idea myself, and I doubt you'd let me find out. Besides, I'm not really interested. You're kind of arrogant."

"You're making me want to forgive you less and less." Neji narrowed his eyes. "And what do you mean, find out?"

"I mean, find out what you look like," Sayuri said. Miyako moved forwards and Sayuri's hands moved across her face, lightly trailing across her cheeks and eyelids. "Like this. I can map out a person's face."

"If you're worried about it looking bad, I could come to dinner too?" Miyako offered.

"And Satoru too, my guardian," Sayuri added, dropping her hands. "Look, I got out of hand back there and I feel really bad about it. Just let me make it up to you, please?" she asked politely and earnestly. She honestly felt bad, and hey, if the price of forgiveness was a dinner, she was perfectly willing to pay. Slowly, Neji nodded.

"Alright, fine," he allowed. "But I hate spicy foods," he warned.

"I'll take it easy on the hot sauce," Sayuri said drily. "Anything in particular you _do_ like?"

"Herring soba," Neji answered immediately.

"I'll find a recipe," Sayuri promised. She smiled slightly and stuck out a hand. "So, no hard feelings?"

"You're not forgiven yet," Neji said pointedly. Sayuri's hand dropped and she scowled.

"Pushy," she muttered under her breath again, turning on her heel, and stalking to the door. "Come on Miyako, let's leave his royal highness to heal."

"Feel better soon, Neji," Miyako said with a slight bow before ducking out the door after Sayuri, leaving a blinking Neji behind.

In all honesty, he was completely shocked. Apologizing for hurting someone in the chunin exams? How soft was that? Still though, he was getting a good dinner out of the deal if Miyako could be trusted, and he was pretty sure the girl might faint if she tried to lie. She was as nervous as Hinata, but in a whole different way, not so much stuttering and with low self-confidence as simply quiet and shy. He was honestly surprised she'd had the nerve to speak up and wish him well.

* * *

**A little short, but this was a good place to stop. I have most of this story planned out in my head. If I continued I would have had to either stop in a weird place or have a chapter like twice as long as any other. **

****ALSO! I have a new poll up on my profile for what pairing you'd like me to write for my next story. I've got ideas going everywhere plot wise but I'm not sure what pairing I like best for the story. Either one works. Just let me know!****


	16. Blame

**Okay, hoensty time. I'm not pleased with how this chapter. No matter how many times I played with it it just neer worked for me. All I've got it this, and I'm genuinely sorry. Next chapter should be so much better, hopwfully.**

* * *

**Truth: She was part of the reason he was dead.**

When Neji was released from the hospital a few days later, he made arrangements with Sayuri as to when he would come over. They settled on a date, and at the appropriate time, Neji appeared on the doorstep.

He raised a hand and knocked. The door was opened by Miyako, who shuffled nervously when she saw him.

"Come in," she invited softly, opening the door wider and stepping aside to let him in. Neji stepped inside. "Neji's here," Miyako called as she shut the door.

"I know, I heard the door open," came a voice from the kitchen. Sayuri appeared and Neji raised an eyebrow. What had he expected, really? Obviously she wasn't in full shinobi gear, but he had expected more than, of all things, a pink, frilly apron on the scrappy girl who had bested him. She was drying her hands on a towel and, without her hitai-ate in sight, looking surprisingly domestic.

"Hi Neji," she greeted politely.

"Where's your guardian?" Neji asked stiffly. Sayuri raised an eyebrow in return.

"No polite greeting?" she smiled slightly, amused. "Alright then. Satoru stepped out to grab a few things he forgot the first time I sent him to the store. There's a reason I don't let that man do the shopping." She shook her head. "It's a miracle he survived before I came along. It's really hard to make herring soba without herring."

Neji was honestly surprised she was making it at all as she vanished back into the kitchen, shaking her head. His own family rarely made his favorite food, even on his birthday.

"You're welcome to sit," Miyako said softly from his side, pointing to the couch.

"I'd like to wash before we eat," Neji said, looking around awkwardly. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall to the left," Miyako directed before disappearing after Sayuri into the kitchen. Neji followed her directions and quickly washed his hands in the sink, feeling incredibly awkward. He didn't know Sayuri well at all, and here he was, about to have dinner with her and, seemingly, the closest thing to family she had. He'd just seen it as repayment for his injuries at first, now it was shaping up to be a horribly awkward evening.

Neji dried his hands and left the bathroom, venturing back down the hall. He paused outside of an open door and gave a cursory glance to the room inside. One of Sayuri's signature grey tunics was thrown over the bed carelessly, showing it was her room. Normally he wasn't one for snooping, but he was caught by the sight of an array of carved flowers resting on one windowsill.

He stepped inside and walked over curiously. They seemed like quite a girly thing for Sayuri to have. He raised a hand to pick up a carved daisy, wondering if there was any maker's mark that would identify it as perhaps some kind of collectible Sayuri was fond of.

"You shouldn't be in here."

Neji was surprised enough by the sudden, strong voice that he flinched and whirled around. To his shock, it was the soft-spoken Miyako standing in the doorway, narrowed eyes fixed on him and her hands planted sternly on her hips.

"This is Sayuri's room," Miyako said strictly. "And if you value your life, you won't ever touch those flowers."

Neji didn't take kindly to being threatened. "And what if I do?"

"Then I won't hold her back," Miyako warned. "They mean more to her than anything else. She won't even let me or Satoru touch them." Her eyes softened a bit as she looked at the flowers, resting on the window sill. The fading light painted them with pinks and oranges and golds. "She put them there so that they would be in sunlight as often as possible. She dusts them every day when she firsts gets up. It's the cleanest place in the house."

Neji watched Miyako in surprise as she drifted forwards, her head cocked as she examined the flowers.

"They belonged to Kimimaro," Miyako said, recalling the day when she had finally plucked up the courage to ask Sayuri about the flowers on her windowsill and she'd gotten the whole story. "Sayuri carved them for him. They're the only thing she has left of him. He was her best friend."

He was learning about Sayuri, but somehow he couldn't seem to care about that more than the fact that Miyako, in protecting her friend, had suddenly grown a backbone.

"A better friend than you?" he asked, testing how far her confidence would stretch.

"She'd leave me for him in a heartbeat," Miyako said surely, meeting his gaze, and Neji blinked in surprise. Where was this girl in the chunin exams, the one who could look him in the eye without flinching or whimpering, the one who looked like she could stand up for herself?

"I'm back!" called a male voice as the front door opened and shut.

"That will be Satoru," Miyako said, dipping her head and blushing slightly as the last bit of her confidence faded away. She started towards the door, Neji following. "We should go."

Dinner was eaten in an awkward silence and Neji was grateful to make his way back to the Hyuga compound where he knew precisely where he belonged and how to handle anyone he saw there. There were no dangerous intimate moments with girls in their friend's bedrooms there.

* * *

Sayuri and Miyako scheduled another hospital visit two weeks later. Choji was back to the hospital yet again with stomach complaints, and Lee still wasn't gone. They'd dropped in a few times to see him, but he was always resting when they arrived, so they just put their flowers in the vase with Sakura's and left. To top it all off, Naruto was in the hospital now.

"Really Choji?" Miyako asked, sounding mildly exasperated as she placed a dandelion on his bedside table. It was becoming tradition. She was on much better terms with the chubby boy after a few hospital visits and was starting to be able to talk to him like a normal person instead of being shy. "Again?"

"What can I say?" Choji said with a shrug. "Food's good. What's with the extra dandelions?" he asked, looking at the flowers Sayuri and Miyako were holding.

"We brought them for Naruto. We heard he got landed in here too," Sayuri explained, leaning casually by the doorframe and toying with Lee's nasturtium absently.

"Yeah," Choji nodded. "Shikamaru was by a minute ago with some goodies in a basket for me, but the nurses wouldn't let me eat it," he pouted. "I think he was taking it to Naruto. If you hurry, you could probably catch him."

"We haven't talked to him in a while," Sayuri mused.

"I think we'll do that," Miyako said. "See you Choji."

"See you."

They left the room, rounding the corner to Naruto's room. Sayuri paused at the door, hand an inch from the knob. Miyako watched as her back stiffened in curiosity.

"Sayuri, is everything okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Stay here," Sayuri said tensely.

"Wha-?" Miyako began, startled, but Sayuri turned to face her and grabbed her shoulders tightly, eyes intense.

"I'm serious, Miyako, wait here, please," she asked, cupping her cheeks. Miyako nodded dumbly, unsure as to what had caused the sudden shift in Sayuri's mood from mildly annoyed to looking downright paranoid.

"Okay," Miyako agreed.

"Thanks," Sayuri said, briefly touching her forehead to Miyako's before turning and darting down the hall, around the corner.

Sayuri hadn't noticed it at first. It began when she'd quickly scanned Naruto's room for chakra signatures to see if Shikamaru was there. He wasn't, and neither was Naruto. However, when she widened her search to try and see where they'd gotten too, she'd felt Lee a few doors down, but his room was nearing capacity. That's where Naruto and Shikamaru were, and Gaara was with them.

Sayuri threw the door open and burst inside. She found a very strange scene. Lee lay in bed, oblivious. A bandaged Naruto stood beside Shikamaru, who held Gaara in his Shadow Possession Justu. Gaara's eyes were on hers, she could feel it drilling into her, the now-familiar rustling sound of his sand emitting from Lee's bed.

"Sayuri!" Shikamaru exclaimed when she barged in.

"Sayuri?" Naruto said in confusion. She assumed the confusion was at the fact that she wasn't in ninja gear. Today her hitai-ate was worn like a headband and she wore tight black shorts and a loose, gray midriff.

"Now that we've all said it, what's going on?" she demanded irritably.

"Yeah!" Naruto snapped, fist clenching as he spun on Gaara. "You gonna tell us what you were trying to do?"

"I was going to kill him," Gaara replied casually, as if he'd just announced he was going to go take out the trash. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sayuri gaped at him.

"Wh-What?" Naruto stammered in disbelief.

"What, you already beat him at the exams!" Shikamaru protested. "Isn't that enough for you? You have some kind of personal grudge against Lee?"

"It's nothing that complicated," Gaara said, eyes still narrow, bloodlust shining in them. "I just want to kill him, that's all."

"You're sick in the head!" Naruto shouted furiously. "You're crazy!"

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed. "You think we're gonna stand here and let you do what you want? You sick, selfish, psycho!"

"There's no way we'll let you anywhere near Lee. He's one of us," Sayuri reminded him, eyes narrowing in distaste. What made him think he could just walk in here and _murder Lee_ and there would be no consequences? "We defend our own!"

"If you get in my way, I'll kill you too," Gaara replied, remaining calm despite the rage burning in his eyes.

"Oh really?" Naruto roared. "Let's just see you try i-"

"Calm down, kid! Take it easy!" Shikamaru shouted. Naruto had already been cut off by Sayuri's hand placed firmly over his mouth, so Shikamaru turned back to Gaara. "We watched your match against Lee, and we know you're tough, but you know, Naruto, Sayuri, and I have a few tricks up our sleeves too. We held back during the competition. There are things you haven't seen yet."

"You didn't see my fight at all," Sayuri pointed out, recalling he'd left the arena after his fight with Lee. "You have no _idea_ what I'm capable of."

"And on top of that, it's three on one," Shikamaru added. "Don't be a fool. Just take my advice and go. _Quietly."_

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "I'll say it once more. If you get in my way, I'll kill you."

Naruto jerked out of Sayuri's hands. "And I'll say it again, let's see you try it!"

"Back off!" Shikamaru snapped at him as Sayuri seized him again, a bit startled as he fought her. She didn't know Naruto had this kind of reckless bravery. Bloodlust rolled off of Gaara in waves. He wanted them dead, and more than that, he would enjoy the process of killing them, and that was one of the most unnerving realizations she'd ever had.

"This guy fights like a demon," Shikamaru continued, his voice tense with his fear.

"He can act like a demon if he wants, but you know what? I got the real thing inside of me!" Naruto said proudly, managing to jerk his chin away from Sayuri to spit out a comment.

"Hold him, Sayuri," Shikamaru barked. Sayuri ruthlessly put Naruto into a headlock.

"If it comes down to it, I will knock you out," she hissed in his ear warningly.

"A demon, huh? My demon is as real as yours is," Gaara said coldly. "From my birth my upbringing was not what most people would consider a happy one. To ensure that I became the strongest of shinobi, my father cast his jutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit. I destroyed the life of the woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster. Its name is Shukaku and it's the living incarnation of an old monk who'd been sealed up in a jar of tea."

"Some kind of demonic jutsu," Shikamaru agreed. "But to use it on a baby? Before it's even born? Man that's creepy. Still though, I can't get over how great a dad this guy has," Shikamaru sneered. "He must have loved his son a lot."

"You speak of love?" Gaara asked dangerously. For the first time, a hint of his anger rolled through his voice as ominous as a roll of thunder. "Don't measure me by your standards. Love. Family. The only emotional ties I have to my family are the ones I like to wrap around their necks. They're ties of hate. Given life by the death of my mother, I was brought into being and treated as the salvation of the village. I was the Kazekage child. My father taught me the innermost secrets of the shinobi. He pampered and protect me, and left me to myself. For a time I thought that was love. And that was when everything started."

"When what started?" Shikamaru demanded.

"What is it?" Naruto said. "Are you gonna stop right there?"

"In the six years since I became six years old, my father tried to destroy me more times than I can count!" Gaara snarled, a wide, manic grin decorating his face. Sayuri couldn't see, but she could hear the tone of his voice. It was entirely too similar to what she recalled in the voices of the Kaguyas before a battle for her to be at all comfortable.

"You just finished saying your dad pampered you," Shikamaru snapped. "Which is it?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed in pleasure as his fingers curved into claws at his side. "Those who become too strong are apt to be feared. The jutsu that gave me birth had unbalanced something in my mind. Even the fools that lived in my village finally realized that I had… emotional problems. My father, the Kazekage, created me as his ultimate weapon, but I eventually became a threat to the very village I was meant to save. By the time I was six I became a figure of terror to the villagers. To them, I was a relic of the past that they wished would disappear.

"So you see I had failed the one reason for which I was given life. What then was left for me in the existence? Why go on living? For a long time I couldn't find an answer to that. But in order to live, you need a purpose. To exist with no purpose is the same as being dead."

"What is this guy talking about?" Shikamaru said, completely confused.

"Then after a long time the reason came to me," Gaara continued. "To put it simply, my reason for living is in the killing of others. For years I lived in fear of those who were sent to murder me. But now I am at piece. I killed many would-be assassins, and it was while I was doing it that the truth became clear to me. I exist only for myself, I love only myself. As it was the death of my mother that first gave m life, now it is the death of others that sustains me, makes me almost happy to be alive. And there's no end to it, as long as there are still people to kill in this great, wide, crowded world, I will never disappear."

Naruto was shaking and sweating in her grasp, and beside her, she sensed Shikamaru wasn't much better. Sayuri, meanwhile, could only fear mind-numbing pity for the boy in front of them as he explained his life. He'd been taught to trust no one, that everyone was a potential enemy. And how does one make sure a person isn't a threat? Take them out. If they attack you, make sure they don't get away to come back at you. It was one of the basic pieces of logic in a fight.

Some might find that a horrific way to live, something to be disgusted by. The problem was Sayuri understood it. When she first met Kimimaro, all he spoke of was getting free and killing the Kaguya who'd trapped him so they could never lock him away again. One of the main points of contention among them was that she refused to let him out of his cage, because it would mean her life. But as time went on and they became closer he became… softer, there was no other word for it. He saw that people could care about him and suddenly vengeance and blood wasn't so important anymore.

That's what Gaara needed more than anything. Someone to fill the hole inside him that no amount of spilled blood ever could. The fact that she understood that was all he needed, that she'd seen something so simple turn a vengeful beast into a caring man, made her not fear him, but pity him, and also hope for him, that one day he might find someone to fill that place. But until then…

The rustling of sand made Sayuri jerk. Shikamaru gasped and Naruto took a step back, inadvertently pressing close to her. Sayuri's arms dropped from his neck and she moved, stepping in front of Naruto and Shikamaru.

"I've met someone like you before," she said sharply. The sand paused its rustling, quivering in the air in anticipation. She took that as a good sign and kept going, hoping and praying that maybe her words could reach Gaara and save their lives. She could keep his sand from crushing her, but her bone membrane would do Naruto, Shikamaru, and Lee no good.

"His name was Kimimaro," Sayuri continued. "His family locked him away in a cell, in the dark, away from other people, for fear of what he could do. He too searched for a purpose and wondered why he was alive. He longed revenge if he ever got free. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind or claiming his own life was the little girl who brought him his food, who they called Nigate, weak. She spoke to him and told him about life outside in the light, and he came to understand that killing wasn't the way to live his life if he ever got free. The way to live his life was by living, just experiencing every moment to its fullest and enjoying the small things about being alive like the sun on his face."

Gaara listened to the girl speak. He wanted her blood even more with every word she spoke. Every disgustingly accurate thing she said about the boy named Kimimaro. He could care less about the girl who weakened such a great opponent. He would dearly love to fight this Kimimaro if he was real and it wasn't something she'd made up to try and justify her deductions about him. The thing in the back of his mind screamed _threat! Threat! Kill her! Protect yourself! She knows too much!_

Sayuri didn't finish her story. That the boy eventually was free. That his hatred of his captors had dulled so much that when they offered him a chance to be useful, he took it, and it led to his death. If he'd just killed them, killed them all, the moment they let him out of his cage, he would have lived. She had softened him so much that he walked into his death. That was the truth. She, Sayuri, was part of the reason he was dead.

And that killed her.

Sayuri realized that her plan had backfired badly when she heard the sand rustle towards her again, squeezing up her legs and calves. Immediately she felt the shift inside of her body as she created the bone membrane.

Gaara couldn't crush her, yet he was going for her. Why? Because her attempt at empathy and diffusing the tension had made him realize that she understood to some extent. On some level, that made her blood more appealing that someone else's. Understanding someone was the key to bringing them down. She was the biggest threat in the room.

"Alright, that's enough!" said a voice.

The sand fell away and Gai was in the doorway.

"The final competition is tomorrow," he continued. "You can fight each other then. You're just wasting it today. Is that what you want?"

Gaara clutched his head, face twisting. His sand began to recede, and Sayuri felt it brush against her ankles and the tops of her feet as it wiggled away from her.

Sand back in his gourd, Gaara turned and made for the door slowly, one hand still fisted in his auburn hair.

"All the same I will kill you," Gaara swore as he paused at the door, turning back. "Just you wait. I will kill you all. You will make me feel more alive than ever before."

Sayuri knew his eyes were on her when he said that. She was right in guessing he saw her as the biggest threat. To be honest, no disrespect to the others, she probably was. Her kekkei genkai was a perfect foil for the crushing pressure of his sand and her unique understanding gave her a glimpse of how he thought.

"I'll walk you out," Sayuri said, moving forwards.

"Kaguya," Gai began, but Sayuri cut him off by raising a hand, eyes narrowed.

"I don't care what you say. I don't trust him to walk past Miyako and not hurt her. She will not be injured because I allowed him near her." Her eyes flashed protectively as she spoke. Gai stepped aside in surprise as she moved in front of Gaara, through the door, and pointed down the hallway, a wordless order for him to walk.

Gaara's eyes were fixed on her intently as she walked next to him down the hall.

"I will have your blood," he swore to her.

Sayuri snorted and reached into her pocket, pulling out a knife. Not a true weapon, but a pocket knife like any civilian would carry. She took it with her everywhere she went in case she found some wood and the notion struck her to carve.

Sayuri carelessly prodded the tip of her finger with the point of the knife. A bead of blood rose to the surface and she offered her hand to Gaara.

"Take it. It means so much to you and very little to me. Go ahead. I don't care."

Gaara was…surprised. Never before had one of his anticipated victims freely offered him their blood. He wrung it from them, writhing and screaming and begging for their lives.

"I don't want it," Gaara rasped.

Sayuri arched an eyebrow at him mockingly. "Not in the mood anymore?"

"It means nothing to me if I haven't taken it from you myself."

"Sayu-"

Miyako cut herself off when she saw who was walking beside her friend. She stood silently as Sayuri moved to stand in front of her, positioning herself clearly between Miyako and Gaara as a defense.

"Walk," Sayuri said coolly. "And don't touch the people I've decided to protect, or in the future, I might have to join the ranks of those who've made an attempt on your life."

"Are you threatening me?" Gaara demanded, anger once again leaking into his voice.

"Cautioning you," she corrected. "Now go. You'll be fighting Sasuke tomorrow. You'll need your strength." She smiled slightly as Gaara turned from her and walked out of the hospital.

"What was that all about?" Miyako asked, voice shaking with fear.

"Gaara made an attempt on Lee's life. Naruto and Shikamaru tried to stop him. I… learned things about him." Sayuri cocked her head, staring after him thoughtfully. "He's… not so unfamiliar to me."

Miyako just looked at Sayuri. Her friend had been fully prepared to use herself as a human shield. In fact, she hadn't even acted like it was a big deal. She'd always known that Sayuri was protective, but she'd never seen it in action. It made her feel privileged to know that she was one of the ones Sayuri was willing to die to protect.

She just prayed it never had to happen.


	17. Together

**I'M BAAAAAACK! Yep, that's right, I got my second wind on this story and to celebrate the fact that Sayuri is back in business I've got a double update for you! I still don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'm going to try and go for at least every two weeks, maybe more if I have some free time. I've been applying for college lately and adulting and... you don't care, do you? you just want to know what's going on with Sayuri. So yeah, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Truth: Together, they would do it!**

The month was gone in blur of sore muscles and new tricks and before Sayuri and Miyako knew it, they were standing in a line in the arena with the other competitors who had made it this far. The Hokage was there with the Kazekage at his side, presumably to support his kids. Nobles filled the stands along with civilians, shinobi who weren't out on missions filling the seats as well. It was probably the biggest event in Konoha in a while.

"Welcome all, and our deepest thanks for coming all the way to Konohagakure for this year's chunin selection!" the Hokage said, opening the tournament. Sayuri stood proudly next to Naruto, head held high before all of the spectators. At her side was Miyako, whose back was straight but incredibly tense, and she was shuddering slightly in fear.

"We have come to the final competition of the nine candidates who made it through the competition!" the Hokage continued. "We ask that no one leave until all the matches have been completed. Now everyone enjoy!"

"One last thing," said the proctor. He pulled out the bracket for the fight. "There was a slight change of plans, so take a good look at who you're fighting now." It seemed Dosu was gone.

"Hey, question!" Naruto said, thrusting his hand in the air.

"What?"

"What'll happen to Sasuke? You know, if he's not here on time?"

"If he's not here when his name is called, he forfeits the match. Now listen up. The terrain is different but the rules are the same. The match continues until one candidate acknowledges defeat or dies. I can step in and stop a match if it's going nowhere, and no arguments allowed. Understood? Now, the first fight is between Neji Hyuuga, and Naruto Uzumaki. The rest of you can go to the waiting area."

Sayuri and Miyako trooped up to the balcony with the others and leaned on the railing to observe the fight below.

Naruto's fight was rough. The byakugan was a nigh-unstoppable technique, that Sayuri knew well, and Neji was a master of it. Even when Naruto came at him with shadow clones, he easily dismantled them. Neji surprised them all with the story of how his father died and his hatred for the main house. Neji bluntly told Naruto the fight was over after sealing off all of his chakra points with a staggering technique. However, Naruto shocked them all, none more than Neji himself, when he got up and kicked Neji's butt, coming out the victor.

The crowd began to grow tense. They'd tasted blood and they wanted more, but Sasuke was still absent. Normally he would have been disqualified, but the Hokage was no fool. He knew very well that the crowd was really here to see Sasuke and Gaara, the two heavy-hitters from this year's competitors, fight it out. To default on the promise of the fight might drive the crowd into a frenzy. So, the match was postponed.

Next came Shino's fight with Kankuro. Shino turned and made his way to the arena, only to hear Kankuro's voice calling out.

"Proctor! I withdraw! I withdraw, so please advance to the next match!"

"Is he serious?" Naruto demanded. He'd joined Sayuri and Miyako by the railing after his fight. "What's he doing?"

"It would seem he's withdrawing," Sayuri said, musing thoughtfully. "I can see how his puppets might be at a disadvantage against Shino's bugs, but… he doesn't have to win to become a chunin."

"So why'd he quit?" Miyako mused.

"That's a very good question," Sayuri said, back tense.

Genma sighed. "Due to Kankuro's withdrawal, Shino Aburame wins by default."

Shikamaru's battle with Temari was interesting to say the least. At first it seemed like he wasn't even going to fight, but then he proved himself to be a tactical genius. A lazy genius, but a genius nonetheless. He tricked Temari into his shadow possession jutsu. Everyone thought he had won, but only for him to turn around and surrender, claiming chakra exhaustion.

Genma pulled out a watch. "The time limit had officially passed," he announced. "So I'm calling this match-"

Leaves flew in all directions as Sasuke and Kakashi appeared in the ring in a swirl of wind.

"Sorry we're late!" Kakashi said casually. "You wouldn't believe the traffic!"

"And you are?" Genma asked Sasuke.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," he said confidently.

"I was thinking you wouldn't show up because you were too banged up!" Naruto shouted down to him.

"So how late are we, exactly?" Kakashi said hesitantly. "Sasuke's not… disqualified, right?"

"Heh, like master like pupil, right down to your bad sense of timing," Genma snorted.

"Well, what about it?"

"You were so late we extended the deadline, twice in fact, and you just made it. No, he's not disqualified."

"Whew, good! You had me worried there for a minute!"

Genma raised his arm, started the match, and this time he leapt back as soon as he called it. He knew better than to get involved in this. It was a good thing he did too, as Gaara's sand began to coil out of his gourd. Sasuke jumped back, eying it warily.

Gaara doubled over suddenly, clutching his head. "No, please don't be angry with me_, mother_," he pleaded with no one. Sasuke's expression read confusion. "Earlier I… I know, I made you taste such awful blood. I'm sorry. But this time… I'm sure… that it'll taste _so very good._

Sasuke threw shuriken but Gaara's sand deflected it, a clone of himself seeming to crawl out of the sand. Sasuke attacked it, and it seemed to catch him for a moment, but the Sasuke punched his way through it. Sasuke threw a punch at Gaara and the sand rose up in the path of the hit.

"So that's your sand armor, huh? Come on!" Sasuke beckoned. Gaara remained kneeling there, flanked by his sand. "If you won't do it, I will!"

Sasuke came at him twisting and dodging around Gaara's sand, landing hit after hit. Gaara stood up and they faced off once more, but then Gaara made a hand sign. Sasuke blinked and the sand began to curl up around Gaara, forming a sphere. Gaara vanished inside and Sasuke seemed to realize he was losing his chance to get his opponent and ran at him, punching the orb. Spikes shot out, poking holes in his temple and leg.

Sasuke jumped back, staring at the orb of sand as the spikes sank back into the surface. It would be difficult to get through. There was no place that was better to attack than any other, and even with Gaara sealed inside, striking would send spikes flying out in an attack. If Sasuke couldn't back up fast enough, he could take a jab to a vital spot.

His situation got even trickier as a sand eye formed outside the ball. Gaara could see Sasuke, but Sasuke couldn't see Gaara. He had no idea what tricks Gaara was planning inside his shell, but Gaara could watch and now the moment Sasuke decided to try an attack.

Sasuke threw kunai, but, as expected, they just glanced off. He attacked, taking the hits form the spikes, and then jumped back when the hit did nothing. Sasuke dodged frantically as the sand lashed out at him over and over with spikes.

Sasuke lunged back and hit the arena wall, skidding up it. He began making hand signs. Miyako and Sayuri watched in awe as a sound like a bunch of birds chirping filled the air and blue chakra crackled in Sasuke's palm. He yanked his hand back and tore through the wall before sprinting down, heading for Gaara.

Sasuke dodged as the spikes drove for him and jabbed with his chakra-infused hand. It drove into the orb, throwing sand in all directions. He looked up and smirked, and it was visible even from the balcony.

Gaara screamed. _"Blood! It's my blood!"_

Sayuri cringed at the sound of that scream. They knew from Kankuro he'd never been hurt before, and the first time was always the worst. Seeing the blood, feeling it drip, the burning pain of a wound… What a time to experience it.

Sasuke struggled to pull his arm free. The limb sparked with chidori and Gaara screamed in pain. Sasuke pulled back, but a long, sandy limb came with him, covered in blue marks. It was sucked back into the small hole in the orb as Sasuke hit the ground on one knee, holding his arm and panting.

The orb cracked around the hole and then began to sift down, away from Gaara. He stood there, looking completely human, but for the look in his eye, which held some kind of madness. He was clutching his left shoulder, which was bleeding through the strap holding his gourd in place.

Sayuri's eyelids began to feel heavy. She felt to her knees, leaning weakly against the railing. She'd never felt this sleepy, even when she stayed up late several nights in a row. She was always able to push aside any weariness or hunger if she had something to do. But now…

_Ah, of course._

"Release!" Miyako cried next to her. She'd sensed the genjutsu even before Sayuri.

"Release!" Sayuri echoed, her strength returning.

Miyako whirled around and Sayuri looked up sharply at the sound of an explosion. Smoke exploded around the platform where the Hokage and Kazekage were seated with their bodyguards. Around the stands, a few ANBU guys leapt into the air, going for the Hokage. Four split off to protect the nobles and another four went to the Hokage's aid as the Kazekage's guards came at them from out of the smoke. They were quickly killed.

"Gaara!" The two sand siblings leapt from the balcony for their brother.

The bodies of the slain Kazekage guards suddenly shot apart into four people, crouching at the four corners of the roof as the Kazekage shot from the top of the smoke, holding a kunai to the Hokage's throat and dragging him along. The ANBU tried to get to the Hokage, but the four guards, now revealed to be from Otogakure, put up some sort of barrier. One ANBU agent connected with it and fell back, consumed in flame.

"What do we do?" Miyako asked softly, taking in the destruction going on around.

"We find Kiyomi," Sayuri said, rising to her feet slowly. "We find Kiyomi, we wake her up if she's not already. And then we _fight._"

"But… Sayuri," Miyako breathed, trembling in fear. "We don't… we _can't_… _We're not strong enough!"_

Sayuri grabbed her shoulders and swung her around so that they were facing. "We have to be!" she snapped. "Look, what else can we do? I know you hate doing it, but Miyako, if we're going to be of any kind of help, we have to figth with everything we have. Everything," she said intensely.

"Saiketsu," Miyako whispered, a violent tremor going through her at the word. "I-I ca-"

"Yes you can!" Sayuri insisted. "You have to! You're a shinobi, Miyako, and these people are invading our home. Are you going to let them get away with that? The time to make a stand is now!"

Miyako paused, Sayuri's words sinking in. She was right. Konoha was under attack. Would she be able to live with herself if she just cowered in fear while everyone else fought to help her? No, she wouldn't. She'd hate herself more than she would for using Saiketsu.

"O-Okay," Miayko nodded weakly. She forced her voice to be stronger and repeated herself. "Okay."

Sayuri nodded, pleased. "Then let's go."

She shot off of the balcony towards the direction of Kiyomi's chakra signature. They found her slumped among the crowd next to her father, who was snoring loudly. Miyako placed her hands on Kiyomi and quickly removed the genjutsu. Kiyomi's eyes flickered open and she sat up, looking around blankly.

"Wha-?"

"Sand has betrayed us," Sayuri said grimly, looking down at her. Kiyomi's eyes widened and she stood up sharply.

"Should we wake your father so he can get to safety?" Miyako wondered, looking at the snoring man hesitantly.

"Leave him," Kiyomi said coldly, pulling a kunai from her pouch. "Where's Ayano? We need to get to her."

"That way," Sayuri said, pointing in the direction of the sound of clashing weapons. Across the way they would see Gai, Kakashi, and Ayano fighting the enemy shinobi.

"Where are you going?" Kiyomi demanded as Sayuri took a step in the opposite direction.

"To wake Satoru," Sayuri explained.

"Let me, I'm better at genjutsu," Miyako begged. Sayuri pondered that for only a moment before nodding.

"Over there, third row, a few seats from the left," she instructed, pointing in the right direction. "Once he's awake, bring him to us."

"Right," Miyako nodded, jaw tight with determination as she shot off in one direction, Sayuri and Kiyomi in another direction.

"Girls!" Ayano exclaimed when Kiyomi and Sayuri landed in front of her. "Where's Miyako?" she asked worriedly.

"Waking Satoru," Sayuri explained, bone sword sliding into her palm as she took a stance.

Ayano's eyes widened in fear and she paused, glancing around the arena. "Satoru…" she whispered, eyes worried.

"Ayano, get in here!" Kakashi shouted to her as he danced past them, parrying the strikes from an enemy before sending him flying with a punch.

"Clam it Kakashi," Ayano snapped, spinning around a sending one enemy slamming into the wall with a strong kick to the chest. "You girls, be ready to fight," she ordered.

"Ayano!"

Satoru bounded into the bleachers, Miyako hot on his heels.

"Are you ready?" Ayano asked him, eyes dancing with relief and the excitement of the fight. Satoru gave her a weak smile in response.

"Born ready," he replied.

"Ayano, what are your orders?" Sayuri asked calmly.

"Don't get killed. Take out the enemy. Defend the Hokage," Ayano said bluntly between attacks. She spun, tiny bolts of lightning flying from her fingers and nailing a shinobi in the chest. He dropped to the ground, twitching.

The three kunoichi took their places, pressed back-to-back into a triangle. They never felt more powerful than back to back with their teammates, knowing you had someone you could trust defending you. Miyako's nerves faded, Sayuri's walls lowered, and Kiyomi's jokes vanished. They had a job to do, and together, they would do it. That was the truth of the matter.

"One," Sayuri counted.

"Two," Kiyomi smirked.

"Three!" Miyako cried.

Miyako's hands flew out, snatching control of the blood stream from two Suna shinobi who were foolish enough to get within range of her hands. She jerked them around and sent them flying forwards, impaling each other with their kunai. Kiyomi engaged another shinobi and blocked his kunai with her own, shoving it aside and jumping into a powerful kick. He went staggering and Kiyomi threw her weapon, getting him in the chest. Sayuri deflected blows with her sword, swinging the razor-sharp edge expertly and slicing her opponent's jugular. Blood sprayed in an arterial spurt. It passed around her and collected around Miyako's fingertips, flowing out like ribbons. She twisted and snapped and wrapped them, entangling and tripping any shinobi that tried to sneak up on Ayano or Satoru. All her reserves about using this ability were gone as she attacked, cold determination etched into her face.

"They're good," Kakashi commented as he darted past Ayano to take out a shinobi heading for the trio of young kunoichi.

"Well, they aren't running around with a chidori… Really, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking- Incoming!"

A green leg came out of nowhere, kicking the attacking shinobi into a wall.

"Gai, you're too much," Kakashi sighed.

"You almost hit me!" Ayano snarled, throwing a kunai and taking out Gai's newest opponent.

"Why… are all the jonin… completely insane?" Satoru demanded between grunts as he engaged a Sound-nin. "There's a reason… I never… tried to advance… Hah!" Satoru took his opponent out with an elbow strike across the face, spinning him around so that he slammed into the wall.

"Kiyomi!" Sayuri called as a shinobi grabbed her and put a kunai to her throat.

"Drop your weapons or your teammate dies," he sneered. Sayuri bent forwards and Miyako rolled over her back, blood whips flicking out from her fingers and wrapping around the man's arms, an enraged expression on her face. His eyes widened.

"You drop your weapon," she snapped, twisting her fingers. His arms were ripped away from Kiyomi, who bent forwards, braced on one hand, and kicked back with both legs. The shinobi went flying over the railing and into the ring.

"Thanks!" Kiyomi called as she lunged at another opponent.

"Kids, get out of here!" Ayano ordered, turning a kicking a shinobi in the chest directly over his heart. He dropped, spasming as electricity coursed through his body. "Go find Ibiki at the edge of the village and take your orders from him. We've got this."

"Are you sure?" Miyako asked worriedly.

"Go!" Ayano shouted.

The three genin wasted no time and took off, following their teacher's orders.

"How you doing?" Ayano asked, pressing her back to Satoru's as two shinobi came at them from each side.

"Never better," he replied, and Ayano could hear the smile in his voice. "Just like old times, huh? Us fighting together."

"We should do this more often."

"… Ayano, much as I love your enthusiasm, we should really hope that invasions don't become a daily thing."

"Killjoy."

* * *

Ibiki wasn't hard to find. The gigantic snakes that had crashed through the walls around Konoha made his location pretty easy to guess. He was on top of a roof, directing the forces gathered around him against the snakes.

"What do you want?" he snapped when the trio landed beside him.

"Ayano sent us to see if we could help," Sayuri recited, snapping to attention.

"You want to help?" He threw out an arm, pointing into the trees. "Some of your fellow genin went running in there not long ago with some Sound-nin on their trail. We're busy here. Go help them out."

"Yes sir," Sayuri nodded, gesturing for her team to follow her. They dodged around the shinobi rushing this way and that, trying to take out the snakes, and made it into the trees.

The farther they went, the less they could hear. By the wall and in the arena it had been almost painfully loud. You had to shout to be heard over the sound of fighting. Now it was silent but for the soft sounds of their footfalls and breathing.

"Sayuri, do you sense anything?" Miyako asked quietly.

"Shikamaru's up ahead," she nodded. "He's got about a dozen shinobi headed for him, and another dozen headed past him, after Naruto and his team."

"We should help Shikamaru," Kiyomi said immediately.

"No," Sayuri said, shaking her head. "Naruto's headed right for Gaara and that will take all of their time. We need to take out the other group. We can't leave Sakura's team to face a dozen enemy shinobi, plus Gaara. We just have to trust Shikamaru can handle himself."

Kiyomi looked mutinous, and she opened her mouth to argue.

"We'll go to Shikamaru's aid once we finish with our group," Sayuri assured her. "We won't leave him alone, but this is more important right now."

Kiyomi still looked like she didn't agree, but she nodded. "Okay."

They picked up the pace and soon the group of Sound-nin were within range. Miyako announced their presence with a genjutsu that snared one of them weakly, tripping him long enough to be hit by the hail of weapons that followed immediately. The group stopped on their branches and immediately swung around, turning to face this new attacker.

"It's just a bunch of genin," sneered one of them.

"Fireball Jutsu!" Kiyomi roared. They all dodged and Sayuri grunted as one of them tackled her to the ground. A kunai bit into her chest over her heart, her bone membrane keeping it from doing any real damage. She shoved the startled shinobi off of her and hurled him into a tree, pinning him there with a bone skewer that connected an instant after him. He hung against the tree limply, blood running down the trunk from a wound in his chest.

"Summoning Jutsu!" she shouted, biting her thumb and slamming it to the ground.

"You called, baby cakes?" Dokumo asked, appearing in a puff of smoke. Sayuri restrained herself from raging at the nickname, focusing on the Sound-nin that was coming at her now. She parried his hail of shuriken, her bone strong enough to cut through it, and knocked him back with a kick. She used the brief seconds to grunt out, "Do what you can!" before engaging the man again.

Up in the trees, Miyako had heard what Sayuri used. She followed her example. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A crane the size of your average teenage girl appeared and lowered its head.

"Yes ma'am?" asked Kurendo, one of Miyako's personal summons. "What have you gotten yourself into now?" Miyako winced at the crane's berating.

"Fly above the tress," Miyako panted out as she flung volley of weapons after volley of weapons. "Dive them. Distract them."

"Peck their eyes out?" Kurendo asked hopefully. Miyako looked at him in horror. The crane sighed and shook his head. "Soft," he complained as he flew off above the treetops.

The Sound shinobi now had to deal with two summons, one on the ground and one in the air. Dokumo was working well with Sayuri, defending her flank. His bite had a kind of poison in it that deadened muscles and prevented coagulation. Not fatal, at least not immediately, but without proper treatment the bite would continue to bleed until you lost too much blood and passed out or died.

Kurendo was instrumental in disorienting the shinobi from above. He'd come flying down through the smallest gaps in the leaves, battering them with air from his wings and squawking before shooting back up through the canopy, only to reappear again several feet away to harry someone else. Against Miyako's orders, there was some definitely pecking going on, but their eyes were safe.

Kiyomi was having the most trouble. Miyako was keeping people back with hurled weapons and Sayuri had taken advantage of the fairly open ground beneath them to use some of her more flamboyant sword dances. Kiyomi, though, had five of them on her at once.

"Fireball Justu!" she shouted, burning one of the Sound-nin that came at her to a crisp, only to feel a pair of kunai slam home into her back. She screamed, the force of the hits knocking her into the trunk of the tree she was standing in. She spun around frantically and blocked a kick from one of them, only for another kunai to bore into her thigh. Her leg wavered and she ripped the weapon free, hurling it towards the person who first threw it, who dodged with a laugh.

"Larch Dance!" Sayuri shouted on the ground, spinning as two Sound-nin came at her from opposite directions, thinking to overwhelm her. The inadvertently impaled themselves, her spinning opening puncture wounds on critical places across their bodies.

Kiyomi struggled against the four Sound-nin she was still dealing with. One went down under a sudden barrage of shuriken from behind him, courtesy of Miyako, who saw her struggling. As Kiyomi glanced at Miyako thankfully, a fourth kunai slammed into her, taking her in the gut, just above her right hip. The momentum carried her off of the limb she was balanced on and she fell towards the ground, thrashing as she tried to right herself.

"Kiyomi!" Miyako screamed in fear. Sayuri looked up, hissing in pain as the distraction cost her a long cut across her arm. She snarled and kicked the one who'd cut her away, directly into Dokumo's jaws. The komodo dragon bit down sharply on the man's shoulder, deadening his limb before ripping it off entirely in his strong jaws, leaving his screaming. Dokumo reared up and brought his bulky weight down on one foot, smashing the screaming man's head into paste.

Kiyomi thought she was going to slam into the ground, driving the kunai in deeper, maybe into something critical. Instead she landed on a feathery back. Kurendo had heard Miyako's cry and swooped under the leaves. He'd immediately spied the falling girl, riddled with weapons, and dove towards her, catching her on his back.

"Find Shikamaru! Take them to the hospital!" Miyako screamed the order.

"I can still fight!" Kiyomi protested.

"Get her out of here!" Sayuri agreed from the ground. Kurendo flew off in the direction first of Shikamaru, and then Konoha, despite Kiyomi's loud protests that she was still capable of fighting.

Sayuri dispatched the last of her opponents and Miyako did the same, callously ripping the blood out of him through a cut in his arm. It curled around her hand and she made a face at the feeling of the warm liquid surrounding her fingers like a clawed glove.

Sayuri and Miyako both turned towards the last shinobi, the one who'd taken Kiyomi down off the branch. He gulped slightly. He'd seen his companions fall against these two girls and their summons. The crane might be gone, but the komodo dragon was still there, bloody saliva dripping from its mouth.

"You hurt Kiyomi," Miyako said, sounding furious enough that anyone who knew her would have done a double take to see if it really was sweet, shy Miyako speaking. "You're not allowed to do that. You hear me? You can't do that!"

Miyako lunged forwards, a bone skewer speeding along with her. The bloody claws on her fingers dove into the man's chest at the same time as the bone. His scream was choked off abruptly in a bloody gurgle as Miyako released the blood, letting it pour down around him and mix with his own blood as she pulled her hand away.

"That takes care of that," Sayuri said softly. "Let's get back to Ibiki."

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Miyako asked softly, looking at the blood-stained kunai on the ground that Kiyomi had pulled from her thigh and hurled back at the enemy.

"She'll be fine," Sayuri assured her. "She wasn't wounded too badly, I don't think. She should be fine."


	18. Fallen

**Truth: Even the mighty must fall.**

Team 9 headed for the arena where the Hokage's funeral was being held. It was in the shade of the monument to past Hokage's, a picture of Sarutobi resting atop an altar. All of the shinobi of Konoha stood in their black mourning clothes, many bearing bandages or casts from the fight. Even the Academy students were there, standing in amongst jonin, genin, and chunin.

When the rain began to fall, no one was surprised. There was no way it could be sunny today. There just… wasn't.

"We are gathered here today to remember not only the Third Hokage, but all those who sacrificed themselves in this battle, so that our village would survive."

Many of the kunoichi were covering their eyes, trying to hide their tears. Some of them just stood there and cried silently, proudly showing their sadness and daring anyone to judge them for their tears today.

People came forwards, laying white flowers on the altar. First the Hokage's friends and relatives, of which there were few, then the jonin, the chunin, and finally the genin. Riko, Sachiko, and Misei waited patiently in line, clutching the flowers and waiting for their chance to pay their respects, all lost in memories of the Hokage.

Unlike some other Kages, who only feigned interest in their people, or those who didn't even do that much, the Third Hokage loved every single one of the people in Konoha. He spoke with them all, didn't sniff and raise his chin when he passed them in the street and they bowed. He would stop and ask how their son or daughter was doing, if your neighbor so-and-so was doing better, and had you heard the latest new about the baker's daughter and the weapons salesmen's son getting engaged?

Kiyomi vividly remembered the day she'd been sitting in the park on a swing, crying softly to herself, clay staining her hands. She'd glared at it hatefully, trying to pry it away.

"Are you alright?" the Hokage had asked.

"Daddy wants me to be a potter, but I don't want to!" she exclaimed angrily, waving her clay-covered hands for the old man to see. "I don't like it!"

"And what do you want to do?"

Little Kiyomi had paused, blinking owlishly. "No one… ever asked that before. I think…" She'd smiled. "I wanna be a shinobi! I wanna defend my village!"

"Then I think you should do that. It's your life. You're the one who must live it, not your father."

The Hokage had been the first one to believe in her.

Miyako remembered the day she'd first discovered her ability with the technique of manipulating the blood inside a person's body. It was something all Hasekura's learned when they were young, just like the basics of healing. But she'd excelled at this while she failed dismally at healing. She'd been sitting outside the compound crying, only for the Hokage to come and sit down beside her.

"What's wrong?" he'd asked sympathetically, gesturing to the blue, sunny sky. "Surely it's too nice of a day to be so sad."

"I'm a monster!" Miyako had sobbed in fear. "I can make people do what I want them too… with their blood! But I can't fix them! Why can't I fix them?" she'd moaned, horrified at herself.

"Everyone had things they excel at," the Hokage had explained kindly. "Just because it's easier for you to manipulate than it is to heal doesn't mean you can't. You'll just have to work harder."

"So… I'm not a monster?" she'd sniffed hopefully.

"No. Just a young girl."

Sayuri remembered the many days she'd spent on the training grounds after long days at the Academy, pushing herself hard to keep up with everyone else. She cursed and strained her way through a particularly difficult maneuver before collapsing on the ground in a sweaty mess, still unable to do it.

"You look like you need a drink," the Hokage had said, stepping from the trees with a bottle of water in hand. How long he'd been there she'd never known. She'd taken the water gratefully, with a polite murmur of 'thank you.'

"Careful," the Hokage had warned as she chugged it eagerly. "You'll make yourself sick. I've seen you out here every day. You work yourself so hard. Why is that?"

"I want to do what he could not," she'd found herself saying, with no idea of why she was telling the old man the real reason.

"Who?"

"My only friend. He died before he got to live. He would have been a great shinobi. I'm going to do this for him, but he was so strong. He would have gotten this by now," she snapped in frustration.

"Don't deify him," the Hokage had warned. "The most dangerous thing we can do is put an ordinary person up on a pedestal. Then we have no hope of being on their level no matter how much we fight and claw. It's not healthy."

The truth was that even the mighty must fall.

The rain slackened as the funeral broke up, and the mood lightened slightly as people left. The reminder of the pall on the day hung everywhere though. Businesses were closed and everyone in the village was garbed in traditional black clothes, mourning for their fallen leader and the regular shinobi who had lost their lives defending the village from Suna and Oto.

* * *

The process of rebuilding the village began almost immediately. There was no time to waste. Shinobi were being pulled off of active duty to help the reconstruction. They needed to get their defenses back up, and fast, before another enemy like the ever-ominous Kumogakure decided to take advantage of their weakness. Funding was a major problem. Chunin and jonin were being sent out on one high-paying mission after another to try and keep up with the cost of rebuilding and show that Konoha was still functioning while the genin were kept in the village to do the heavy lifting.

Sayuri, Miyako, and Kiyomi were no exception. They were working on a roof in the blazing hot sun, slamming nails home into the wooden slats viciously. They'd all stripped down the bare essentials. They'd been on roof duty for the past two days and knew well how hot it got. They were wearing sports bras, sandals, and shorts, and were still sweating.

"That's the last of it," Sayuri said with a grunt as she passed Miyako the last of the boards. She'd quickly been taken off of hammering duty. She usually functioned very well despite her blindness, but for some reason hammering seemed beyond her. She couldn't seem to line up the hammer quite right and kept smashing her fingers and cursing. Finally she'd been reduced to simply handing Sayuri and Miyako boards and nails.

"Are you making a wood run?" called one of the genin from across the street. He and a girl from his team were painting in the shade. The three girls watched enviously.

"Yes," Sayuri admitted.

"Could you bring us back some more blue paint?" the girl called.

"Sure," Sayuri nodded.

"I'll come with you then," Miyako offered. She looked around at the handy work. There was only a small section left. "Kiyomi, Sayuri and I can finish this little bit up. Why don't you go help at that house over there?" she suggested, pointing to a house down the road a bit where a lone figure was pounding in nails.

"Okay," Kiyomi nodded, standing up with a grunt as her back protested. They'd been bent over for the better part of two hours.

The group separated, Miyako and Sayuri towards the storehouse where all the building supplies were being held, and Kiyomi towards the other roof. Kiyomi winced when she landed and saw the red and white fan on the back of the mysterious worker's shirt.

"You want some help?" she offered, fully expecting him to tell her to go take a long walk off a short pier. Sasuke looked up at her, dark eyes boring into her. His hair was even messier than usual, sweat spiking it in odd places. His pale face was slightly red from the heat.

"Start over there," Sasuke said, nodding to the other side of the roof where the board had yet to be laid. "We'll work towards the middle."

Kiyomi was mildly surprised he was allowing her to help, but she supposed that he knew she wasn't going to jump him or something. She took her place on the opposite side of the roof and started hammering.

"Saaaasukeeee!" called a saccharine voice. Kiyomi looked up in time to see Sasuke wince. He glanced at her and Kiyomi ducked her head, but not fast enough to conceal her smirk as Sakura bounded up to the roof, holding a package of nails in her hands. Sakura gave Kiyomi a withering look for daring to be so close to _her_ Sasuke. "I brought the nails you wanted," she said, bending down unnecessarily close to him and thrusting them at him. "See?"

Kiyomi rolled her eyes. Okay, she wasn't going to lie and say Sasuke wasn't attractive. He was. _Very. _But that didn't mean that everyone needed to lose their heads over him. Sakura was one of the smartest genin in the village, yet here she was, acting like a brainless little civilian going goo-goo over a man in uniform.

"Here you go, Sasuke," Sakura said, handing him a nail. He pounded it in and extended his hand silently for another one. "Here you go Sasuke." He hammered it in and reached for another one. "Here you go Sasuke. Here you go Sasuke. Here you go Sasuke."

Kiyomi glanced up, seeing the growing tick mark above Sasuke's eye. Sakura prattled on obliviously.

"Here you go Sasuke. Here you go Sasuke. Here you go Sasuke. "

Kiyomi finished with her first few boards and by then she was close to snapping. So was Sasuke. He was pounding in nails with unnecessarily vicious swings and she had a feeling he was picturing the nail heads adorned with pink hair.

Kiyomi rose to get another few boards from the pile beside Sasuke. She paused behind Sakura and raised her hands, fingers curled into claws, smiling manically. Sasuke glanced up at her, smirking slightly as he saw her towering behind the oblivious Sakura, hands outstretched as if to strangle her. Sakura saw the look and whirled around to find Kiyomi piling wood into her arms.

"What were you doing?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"Getting more wood," Kiyomi replied, eyes wide and innocent. Sakura narrowed her eyes as she turned back to Sasuke, whose hand was outstretched impatiently for another nail.

"Oh, sorry. Here you go Sasuke!" she said happily, handing him another one.

"Sakura, can you go get me a bottle of water?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure Sasuke!" Sakura said happily, standing up and bounding off the roof. Sasuke detected something flying towards him. He reached up and caught a water bottle. He looked between it and Kiyomi suspiciously.

"Thirsty, weren't you?" Kiyomi asked, grinning slightly. She blinked innocently. "Or were you just trying to get rid of Sakura? That would be so mean," she pouted, voice just as saccharine as Sakura's had been. Sasuke restrained a shudder as he took a few cool gulps, closing the bottle and tossing it back to her.

"Thanks," he grunted before returning to his work. The bottle came flying back at him and he caught it, now looking at her in irritation.

"I've got another, you can keep that," Kiyomi offered, holding up yet another water bottle. Sasuke grunted in response but didn't pass the bottle back. To be honest, he was pretty hot and the water was nice. For a moment, they were peacefully pounding nails. Kiyomi took it upon herself to break the silence, smiling mischievously.

"You know, it's considered pretty stupid wear black in the sun," Kiyomi pointed out casually.

"What's your point?" Sasuke replied, eyes narrowed at her. She shrugged.

"Take your shirt off?" she suggested. Sasuke glared and she snorted. "Relax Uchiha, I'm not going to molest you or anything. I'm just trying to save you from heat stroke." Sasuke sent her a skeptical look. In response, she placed a hand over her heart and raised her other in the air. "I, Kiyomi Arita, promise to restrain myself from molesting Sasuke Uchiha, no matter how sexy he may be," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her. It wasn't bad advice, and if any girl wasn't going to lose her mind, it was Kiyomi. There were times he thought she'd already lost it, but at least, she'd probably be just as snarky as always.

"I reserve the right to swoon dramatically though," Kiyomi added, and he scoffed, actively restraining a small sound of amusement. Kiyomi may be member of that irritating subclass of human known as females, but at least she was entertaining. Sasuke stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside casually, sending her a pointed look, watching for any signs of untoward behavior. Kiyomi placed the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon, laughing as she did so.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, I got-!" Sakura jumped up onto the roof. She promptly dropped the bottle of water and toppled off the roof, scrambling away to stop her sudden nosebleed and gossip with the nearest cluster of interested girls.

"Well that takes care of her for a while," Kiyomi snorted, shaking her head as she pounded a nail home.

"Kiyomi Arita! Are you up there?" demanded a man's voice. Sasuke raised his head in surprise at the angry tone of voice. His eyes flicked to Kiyomi to find her wincing. She crawled over to the edge of the roof to peer down. Sasuke leaned slightly to see the man. He wore the same symbol on his clothes as Kiyomi did, but his hair was more silver than white. He looked enough like her to probably be her father.

"What do you want, dad?" Kiyomi huffed.

"You were told to stay home and help in the shop today!" the man shouted up to her angrily. "Do you think you can just disobey your parents and get away with it?"

"I was ordered to come work on the repairs," Kiyomi shrugged carelessly.

"Oh, and that just trumps anything I say, does it?"

Kiyomi looked the man dead in the eyes and replied calmly, "Yes."

The man turned purple with rage. "You are grounded!" he shouted at her. "You will do nothing but help in the shop for the next week, or until you learn some respect for your parents!"

"I respect mom just fine," Kiyomi replied, narrowing her eyes. "It's just you I don't listen to. I'm a shinobi. Orders from the village trump anything you tell me. I've told you before, I'm done helping you in the shop. I. Am. A Shinobi," she announced proudly. "So you can take your pottery and leap off a cliff for all I care!"

"Our deal is over!" the man yelled at her, drawing a few eyes over to the scene. "In exchange for real effort and some respect I allowed you to become a shinobi, but you didn't become a chunin and you sure as hell aren't any more respectful."

"I'm not going to quit being what I am because you're desperate for me to help you make vases!" Kiyomi roared back. She grabbed a handful of nails and hurled them like senbon. Her father shouted in surprise and leapt out of the way, fleeing as Kiyomi threw more nails.

"I hate him," Kiyomi snarled as she slunk back from the edge of the roof, returning to the board she was just working on, swinging her hammer viciously as rage boiled away in side of him. There was a time when she was younger, when some love still remained in her heart. He was her father, after all. That was gone now, and she could find nothing but loathing inside of her. Making a scene like that, embarrassing her in front of the village?

She was so sick of him talking down to her. Maybe this most recent lesson would teach him, show him that she was no longer under his control. If fear was what it took to keep him off her back, fine, she didn't care. She'd tear someone apart in front of him if it meant he'd quit trying to punish her and rule her life. He thought he knew what was best for her and could just dictate her every movement to her.

Kiyomi realized that there was no other hammer sounding along with her own. She looked up and saw Sasuke looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"I'm guessing you want an explanation," Kiyomi grunted, sitting back on her heels and wiping her sweaty forehead on one arm.

"Considering you just attacked your own father, yeah," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes at her. There was something in his eyes, something more than just curiosity. He looked angry, oddly angry. She knew his brother had killed the rest of his family, and she supposed she had made quite the impression of the next little Itachi Uchiha.

"I'm the first Arita ever to become a shinobi," Kiyomi explained with a sigh. "We've always been potters. Always have been, and if my dad has his way, always will be. That would have been fine, except for the fact that I'm my parent's only child at home. My aunt and uncle can't have kids and my mom's too old now. The family business will end with me and my dad can't handle the idea that it was his kid that ended centuries of tradition. He's been trying to force me to help out since I was five, hoping I'd enjoy it and want to keep it going. Small problem with that is that I hate it. I got him to make a deal. If I could become a successful shinobi in five years, I was free. If not, I came back to the kiln and didn't complain again."

"You can't just quit," Sasuke realized. "You serve the village."

"Yep," she smirked. "By the time those five years were up, I was free to do what I want, and I'd have already sworn myself to the service of Konoha. The minute I graduated and became a genin, I was home free," she grinned.

"My dad's a bit dumb when he's angry. He made that deal without knowing the facts in the heat of an argument. I tricked him into making it. He found out that I can't quit and he's been so pissed that I fooled him he's been screaming at me to come back ever since graduation, telling me to do better or I'll bring shame to the family." She clenched her hands into fists. "He can't understand why I didn't make chunin this time, no matter how many times I, and even my mom, tell him plenty of people don't make chunin their first go around. I mean, you didn't, and you're the biggest badass this village has ever seen," she smirked wider and shook her head. "So that's my pitiful little back story. My dad and I hate each other and he yells at me in public purely to embarrass me, big freaking whoop. You can go on about your day now." Kiyomi turned back to her hammering.

It wasn't just her father though. It was Sayuri as well. Kiyomi had always been freaked out by her and her weird bone kekkei genkai, even when they were Academy. She thought when they got put on the team she'd get over it, and for a while, once she got to know Sayuri, it seemed like that was true. Sayuri was nice, and she was pretty subdued. The problem was, she was powerful.

No matter how hard Kiyomi tried, she could never best Sayuri in anything. Taijustu had always been her thing, and she was proud of it. Then Sayuri came along with her kekkei genkai and kicked her butt. Kiyomi had been so sure she'd be better at ninjutsu then, surely. But no, Sayuri always got things faster and with better results. When they learned Summoning, Sayuri had bested her, calling out strong summons before Kiyomi herself could more than a bear cub or baby alligator. Even Ayano! Kiyomi had hoped her whole like to meet the legendary kunoichi, and when she learned Ayano was her teacher, she was overjoyed. But Sayuri already knew and was friends with her.

And then Sayuri had the audacity to try and tell her what she was doing wrong. She knew that Sayuri was supposedly trying to help her, but every time she was 'helping' Kiyomi only heard disdain and sneered tips. Sayuri looked down on her, she was sure, and everyone was oh, so proud of the poor blind girl with a rough past who made something of herself.

Even her father liked Sayuri better his own daughter! He was always comparing her to Sayuri, asking why she couldn't do such-and-such he'd heard about Sayuri doing, had she beaten Sayuri yet, could she do something Sayuri couldn't, why couldn't she be more like that Sayuri girl?

There were times when she could put aside her growing dislike for Sayuri; when they were on a mission or training, when Miyako was there. Sayuri was handy in a fight, there was no denying it. But then Sayuri or her father would say or do something and bring that dislike up stronger than ever, adding fuel to the fire.

Kiyomi realized once again that she was the only one hammering. She glanced up at Sasuke, who was watching her with the strangest expression on his face. "What?" she snapped irritably, knocking a strand of white hair out of her face. "You want to listen to me angst a little more? I didn't think you'd give a crap," she scoffed.

"You're an angry little thing, aren't you?" Sasuke said, smirking slightly.

He'd watched her from the minute she started working again. She'd been taking her anger out on the roof. He recognized many things flutter across her face that he saw on his own on occasion, and that was surprising. Pure rage, hatred, hurt, and above all, the desire for revenge. It came across plain as day in her eyes and he was surprised he'd never heard anyone mention something about this before. Kiyomi was always described as happy. Were the people of Konoha really blind enough to miss this?

Maybe she wasn't just a pretty face, as he'd thought. Maybe there was actually something interesting to her.

Kiyomi looked him dead in the eye and narrowed her own in response. "Hark who's talking, Uchiha." She stood up and threw down her hammer. "The really sad part is, if my sister Aika hadn't run off to god knows where, I wouldn't have this problem right now. She knew what this meant to me, but she still ran," Kiyomi lowered her eyes, betrayal lingering in her eyes. She shook her head, the hard expression returning.

"Screw this, I'm out of here." With that, she leapt over the side of the building, out of his sight.

Sasuke turned back to his work on the roof, chuckling slightly. Maybe Kiyomi really was more interesting than the other girls here in Konoha.

Kiyomi pressed her back against a building not far away, panting. Her teeth were gritted and her eyes were shut, tears leaking down. It had been a while since she'd lost control like this, everything welling up at once and consuming her. Father… Sayuri… _Aika_…

She couldn't fathom why she told Sasuke about Aika. She hadn't even told the rest of her team about Aika, her older sister. She remembered Aika when they were children, the kindest woman you'd ever met. Aika sitting at the potter's wheel, spinning calmly in the light from the window, silver hair glinting. Aika climbing the cherry tree in the backyard and lounging on that branch just too high for Kiyomi to reach, encouraging her try harder. Aika sitting on the back porch, singing softly as she toyed with the flowers from the garden, weaving them into crowns.

It was Aika who taught her how to sing, how to mold the clay, how to climb to trees and weave flower crowns. All things she hadn't done since Aika left years ago, all except singing. She couldn't quite give that up, the last connection to the beloved sister who left her to her hated fate.

Oddly enough, it was Aika who first taught Kiyomi about shinobi, although she wasn't one. She could manipulate her chakra at basic level, enough for a few weak tricks, and could throw a decent punch and kick. Kiyomi never knew where she learned, and never cared to know. All she knew was that this was the one thing she was better at than the perfect sister her parents had doted on. At the time, Kiyomi hadn't minded; she'd doted on Aika too. Now, every moment Aika was favored over her stung like a senbon to heart.

Kiyomi remembered the morning they all woke up and Aika was simply gone. No note, no warning, no nothing. Just a room with an empty closet and a bed that hadn't been slept in. No hint of where she'd been gone or if she'd ever be back. She knew very well this was why her father was so keen to tie her to family business and for her to not be a shinobi. That she wouldn't leave and never come back, or worse, be reduced to nothing but a name on a KIA stone.

She couldn't care though. His emotional hang-ups were not her problem. They were just obstacles she needed to overcome to follow her dream, to be the best at something her sister couldn't even come close to touching her in. _That_ was why she was so desperate to be the best.


	19. Relaxation

**Truth: They all needed to relax and burn off steam.**

The village was due for some celebration. Repairs were almost done, the village's treasury was back on its feet, and they had a new Hokage. Lady Tsunade, the sannin, one of Sarutobi's old students, had taken up the mantle. The village was overjoyed to welcome her and finally all the building good feeling couldn't be contained anymore. The traditional celebration of a new Hokage provided the perfect venue for everyone to set off their feelings. The village was happier than it had been in weeks.

Sayuri, Miyako, and Kiyomi were all in traditional garb, winding their way among the stalls to look for something to do. Miyako wore a deep green robe to set off her red hair, which was swept up in a bun with the hairpins Sayuri had given the entire team. Sayuri's hair was an identical bun, hairpins gleaming, and she wore a yukata in her usual shade of gray with white edging. Kiyomi was the most flamboyant, wearing a light blue shade the color of the sky that went well with her hair and eyes. Her hair was down around her shoulders.

"Is that who I think it is?" Kiyomi asked, gaping as she pointed through the crowd at a couple. Ayano wore a black robe, and it normally would have looked drab, but her turquoise hair it looked very elegant. Satoru was next to her, his normally messy brown hair neat and tidy. He was asking what sort of ice cream she wanted. She responded by stealing his and licking it coyly.

"They're so cute!" Miyako squealed.

"She finally asked him out," Sayuri said, nodding approvingly at her teacher and guardian as if she were a proud parent sending her children off together.

"_She_ asked _him?_" Kiyomi noticed.

"Come on, did you really think Satoru would ever get up the courage to ask her out?" Sayuri snorted. "It was always going to be Ayano who did the asking."

"Actually, she didn't so much ask him as she did walk up, kiss him, and demand he take her to the festival," Miyako recalled.

"That sounds like Ayano," Kiyomi nodded. She smiled. "They are really cute."

"Let's play some games," Miyako suggested. "What about that?"

They all wandered over to a game where people were tossing balls at milk jars. It seemed to be mostly civilians. You could tell when a shinobi wandered up because they promptly annihilated the tower of jars with one well-aimed throw while the civilians seemed to struggle.

"Three please," Kiyomi said, stepping up and paying. Each of the girls were given three balls. Miyako whispered to Sayuri where the jars were. They all lined up and threw, sending milk jars flying.

"Well done," grunted the stall worker, looking vaguely put out. It was obvious that the shinobi were pretty much owning any game they stepped up to. "Pick a prize."

"What kinds are there?" Sayuri hissed to Miyako.

"All kinds of stuffed animals," Miyako replied, reaching up and pulling down a stuffed red dragon, the symbol of her family, nuzzling it to her face with a giggle. "There's dogs and cats and bears and there's even a horse and a tiger-"

"There's a really cute raccoon," Kiyomi added as she took the alligator from right next to it.

"I'll take that, I suppose," Sayuri shrugged. She wasn't one for stuffed animals. By the time she'd been able to get her hands on one she was already past the age when they were really entertaining. She took the stuffed animal from the vendor and they started wandering around again, pausing every now and then at one of the stalls selling food to grab something small to nibble on as they walked.

"What is that sound?" Sayuri asked blankly, turning her head in the direction of a series of splat sounds.

"That's hysterical!" Kiyomi laughed after a moment.

"What?" Sayuri insisted.

"It looks like you put on a plastic cover to protect your clothes and then toss paint-filled balloons back and forth," Miyako explained with a small chuckle. "It seems to be popular with little kids and a couple shinobi."

"That could be fun," Sayuri mused. "Want to try it?"

"Sure," Kiyomi agreed with a shrug. They walked over and donned the plastic ponchos that were given out since everyone was in nice clothes. They paid and each was handed a balloon and set across from someone else. It was the same principle as an egg toss. The children were mostly just trying to hit each other in the face. The shinobi were trying to see who could pull off the fanciest tosses and most risky catches.

Miyako's partner was a fumbling civilian boy who tossed the ball low. It splattered on the ground between them. She sighed and pulled off the poncho, waiting for the others to finish. Sayuri's partner was a big muscle-bound man who smirked at his – somewhat wasted – friends and tried to hit her in the chest. Sayuri caught it and swept it back around, nailing him in the face. He walked off, grumbling, yellow paint dripping from his mustache as Sayuri joined Miyako.

"Hey guys!"

Kiyomi yelped in surprise and spun around to face Tenten and Neji. There was a moment of silence as the balloon went up… came down… SPLAT…

Neji's hair was covered in pink paint. He blinked owlishly, shock on his face. Kiyomi covered her mouth with her hands, both horrified and also incredibly amused.

"Neji," Tenten chuckled, covering her own mouth. "Uhm… You look…"

Neji's eyes narrowed at Kiyomi. _"Run."_

"No arguments!" Kiyomi shrieked, ripping off her plastic poncho and sprinting into the crowd with Sayuri and Miyako hot on her heels, all of them giggling madly. Suddenly they felt very young as they dodged through the crowd, childishly fleeing Neji's wrath. They could track him by the annoyed exclamations of the people he came near, pink paint-coated hair swinging around dangerously.

Sayuri chuckled. Truthfully, they all needed to relax and burn off steam. Playing around like children was a good way to do so.

They kept going until they turned a corner and Sayuri smacked into something very hard and very solid. Miyako and Kiyomi froze at her side.

"Ow," she groaned from the ground. "Who put that there?"

"Uh… Gaara," Miyako said softly. Sayuri paused, feeling for chakra signatures.

"Oh, yes, I suppose it was," she said absently, standing up.

"What are you doing here?" Kiyomi asked coldly.

"Probably the same reason as you guys," Kankuro said, waving an arm weakly. "And we're trying to rebuild relations between our villages."

"Your new Hokage is reinstating our peace treaty," Temari added. "We're here to iron out the kinks."

They turned to their brother, clearly hoping he'd say something. Gaara took a step forwards and opened his mouth to speak.

"_ARITA!"_

Kiyomi paled and yelped, "Got to go!" She sprinted off towards the most crowded part of the festival.

"Run, Kiyomi, run!" Sayuri called after her in amusement, shaking her head.

"What was that about?" Temari asked blankly, staring after Kiyomi.

"There was an incident," Sayuri said absently, adjusting her clothes.

"An _incident_," Kankuro repeated.

"Involving Neji's hair," Sayuri explained, straightening her own. A blob of pink was weaving its way towards them through the crowd. "Miyako, interference."

"Right," Miyako nodded determinedly.

Neji emerged, the veins around his eyes showing he'd used byakugan to find them. His face was tight with anger, his white robes splattered with pink paint. Temari restrained her giggles, but Kankuro wasn't so reserved. He let out a loud laugh, and got a glare for his trouble.

"I'll give you one chance," he said, narrowing his eyes at them. "Where… is… she…?"

"Neji, I'm really sorry about your hair and your clothes," Miyako said softly. Neji looked at her in surprise. Miyako was wringing her hands and looking up at him with big eyes. Miyako felt a bit bad about manipulating him, but Kiyomi's personal well-being was on the line. She was fully aware of the power of her 'cute face' as Kiyomi called it. "I really think I can help get some of that out before it sets, if you'll let me?" she asked. Neji's jaw loosened slightly and he gaped at her for moment, surprised by her offer of assistance. That was all it took. Miyako took advantage of his momentary distraction and grabbed his wrist, dragging him away towards the pond in the park where the festivities were being held.

"Now you're alone with us," Gaara rasped. Sayuri stiffened slightly and turned to face him. "Are you brave, or stupid?"

Sayuri raised an eyebrow at him. "Logical," she countered. "There's no way you're dumb enough to try something in the middle of a festival full of shinobi who your village recently annoyed, especially when you're trying to get back on good terms with them. And seeing as you're trying to get on better terms with Konoha, I may as well forgive and forget. Can you promise not to pin me to any more walls?" she asked, offering Gaara a hand.

Temari and Kankuro looked at her in surprise. Gaara narrowed his eyes at her, non-existent eyebrows furrowing.

"I'm not trying to trick you," Sayuri said softly, extending her hand a bit further. "I'm just being friendly."

Gaara slowly reached out and took her hand, knowing that reasonably he owed her an apology for how he'd treated her, even though part of his mind was screaming at him to kill her. His fight with Naruto may have opened his eyes to some things, but understanding new ideas and enacting them were two very different things.

"Then I suppose now _we're_ on good terms," Sayuri smiled slightly, shaking his hand firmly and then dropping it. "And that means I can show you all around."

"Why would you do that?" Temari asked blankly.

"Because there's a couple places around town you might want to avoid," Sayuri said with a small wince. "You're a little bit… blatantly Suna. Some of the civilians won't take kindly to that. The shinobi understand that you were just following orders, but to the others… you're the bad guys."

"Great," Kankuro sighed. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"If it was, we wouldn't need peace treaties," Sayuri chuckled.

"Is the coast clear?" Kiyomi asked softly, poking her head out from behind a stand selling dango.

Sayuri shook her head in amusement. "Yes, Kiyomi, Miyako saved you."

"Thank god," Kiyomi sighed in relief, emerging from behind the stand with two sticks in hand. She passed one to Sayuri, who took it and bit into one of the balls. She turned and looked at the Sand Siblings. Her face fell.

"Oh. It's you."

* * *

Miyako led him towards the water, past the dock where they were setting up the fireworks for later. She found a sheltered place, away from the public eye under some willows by the lake, figuring Neji had been humiliated enough, running through the crowd with pink hair. She pulled out a small white handkerchief and knelt by the water, gesturing for Neji to join her. He knelt across from her, watching her suspiciously.

"Uhm… I need to see your back?" Miyako said shyly. She'd done her part and gotten Neji away from Kiyomi, so that she was safe. Now, however, she was stuck with the solemn Hyuga.

Neji narrowed his eyes warningly at her and was pleased to see her wince slightly. He rotated and presented his back to her. Miyako dipped her handkerchief into the water and held it up, loosening Neji's hair from its tie.

"I'm sorry about what happened," she said softly as she started wiping out as much of the paint as she could. "Kiyomi really didn't mean to."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "That won't save her." His fists clenched in his lap and then he suddenly went limp as Miyako's fingers threaded through his hair, the back of her hand brushing against his sensitive blind spot. He whirled to face her, catching her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes, pink-stained handkerchief clutched in equally pink hands.

"Did I pull your hair?" she asked worriedly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's nothing," Neji said, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously. He released her hand and she began nervously wringing the handkerchief. "Continue," he allowed, turning back around.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about your robes," Miyako apologized. "They're white, so…" She shrugged helplessly.

"It's fine," Neji said shortly.

"There, you're all done," Miyako said happily, pulling her hands back as she managed to work the last bit of paint out. Thankfully whoever worked the game had taken into account the potential for messy accidents and the paint was designed to wash out easily.

Neji glanced to the side at his reflection in the water. Sure enough, his shoulders were stained pink, but his hair was clean, hanging in damp chunks around his face. He saw Miyako's reflection in the water behind him, looking at him hopefully.

"Here, wear your hair like this," she suggested, twitching a few strands of hair into place over his shoulders, hiding almost all of the pink. "That should help hide the stain." Neji said nothing and Miyako slowly removed her hand from him. "Neji?" she asked softly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Neji said, shaking his head. He got to his feet sharply. "Thank you," he said, more out of politeness than real thankfulness. He emerged from the branches of the weeping willow before Miyako could even get to her feet, leaving her sitting on the ground wondering what she'd done wrong.

As he moved through the streets, Neji clenched his fist, trying to hide the fact that his hands were shaking, and shuddered against the phantom feeling of deft fingers combing through his hair.

* * *

"So we're playing nice with the Sand guys now?" Kiyomi asked. Sayuri sighed.

"Yes, Kiyomi."

"Fine," Kiyomi grumbled. She gestured to the trio with her stick of dango. "But for the record, you're still not my favorite people."

"Some days I wonder if you like anyone," Sayuri muttered under her breath, absently toying with the empty stick in her hand.

"Hey, Sayuri! Kiyomi!"

"Sakura! Naruto!" Sayuri greeted the approaching trio.

"Chicken butt!" Kiyomi greeted. Sasuke glared at her. She blinked innocently. "What, who said I was talking to you?" She threw an arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Maybe I was talking to him?"

"Hah! Everyone knows his hair looks like a chicken's butt,"

"Shikamaru, you idiot!" Ino raged, chastising her teammate. Of course, that chastisement came in the form of a swift right hook. "Don't talk to him like that! Hey Sasuke," she added dreamily.

"Back off Ino-pig, he's mine!" Sakura snapped.

"Fighting over that sourpuss again? Why do that when I'm right here?" Kiba smirked, swaggering up.

"K-Kiba, you shouldn't say things like that," Hinata murmured as the last of the rookie teams converged by the dango stand.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke suddenly asked coldly, drawing all eyes to the trio of Suna-nin standing behind the two girls and looking awkward.

"Long time no see," Shikamaru greeted Temari.

"Hi," she replied, slightly flirtatiously. Kankuro gave his sister a surprised look and Ino glanced at Shikamaru curiously.

"They're negotiating peace between our villages, Sasuke," Sayuri replied calmly. "That a problem?"

"Nope!" Naruto announced obliviously, walking up and slinging an arm around Gaara's shoulders, leaving the younger boy slightly off-kilter. "Come on, let's all grab a good seat for the fireworks, you guys can watch with us! It'll be awesome, believe it! I hear they pulled out all the stops! The only thing that could make this night better would be some Ichiraku ramen. Yeah, that'd be great… Hey, we should get some after!" Naruto suggested to Sakura, and just like that the tenseness was gone. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were absorbed into the pack of genin moving towards the lake.

They found a spot on the ground and spread out blankets, curling together on them, waiting for the fireworks eagerly. Miyako sidled up out of nowhere and sat down by Sayuri and Kiyomi at the edge of one of the blankets, joining the conversation.

"Hey, is that Ayano?" Ino asked, pointing in the direction of a woman curled up against a man's chest. There was no mistaking the signature turquoise hair. Ayano was tucked against Satoru, leaning back on his chest and looking incredibly satisfied. "Did she and Satoru finally get together?"

"Looks like," Kiyomi nodded approvingly.

"That's very sweet," Hinata whispered, looking at Naruto. He glanced at her and she turned away, flushing.

"Lucky guy," Kiba nodded. "Your teacher's pretty nice-looking for an old lady."

"And if she ever heard you call her an old lady she'd castrate you and make you eat your own testicles," Kiyomi replied sweetly.

"That's why Kotetsu no longer pokes fun of her," Sayuri added.

"Your teacher's troublesome," Shikamaru huffed.

"Hey, they're better to look at than _that_," Temari said, making a face and pointing to the couple two blankets over who seemed to be trying to suck each other's faces off. The red-haired girl was only a little older than them. Sakura and Ino made faces while Hinata went bright red. Kiyomi rolled her eyes and Sayuri cocked her head, observing absently, while Miyako squinted. Her eyes suddenly burst wide open.

"Akane?" she yelped. The couple separated with a wet pop and the girl turned to stare in their direction, revealing the Hasekura's red dragon embroidered over her breast on her robes just like Miyako's.

"Heh? Who's calling?" she asked. Her eyes landed on Miyako and she waved cheerfully. "Hey baby cousin!"

"What are you doing?" Miyako hissed, face flushed. "That's not appropriate in public! Your father would have a heart attack!"

"Eh, what dad doesn't know won't kill him, now will it?" Akane chuckled, completely unperturbed.

"Hey, piss off. We were kind of in the middle of something," the guys snapped, grabbing Akane's shoulder possessively.

Akane turned to glare at the boy. "Don't talk to her like that," she said coldly.

"We were doing something!" he said defensively.

"Doing what? Having sex with your clothes on?" Kiyomi demanded with a snort.

"Answer the question," Miyako said with surprising sternness.

Akane sighed. "Is that an order?" she whined. Miyako nodded. "Fine, I was going to give him an embarrassingly-timed and long-lasting erection for breaking one of my friend's hearts."

The guy looked at her incredulously. "What the he-" He glanced down at his lap and flushed, hastily standing up and floundering away.

"Way to ruin my payback, cuz," Akane sighed disappointedly, rising and wandering off in the direction of one of the food stands.

"Sometimes it's convenient to be the heir of your clan," Miyako sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

"You're the heir of your clan?" Temari asked in surprise. Miyako seemed more like a follower that a leader.

She nodded helplessly.

"Your cousin seems pretty, uh… confident in her abilities," Shikamaru said delicately.

Sayuri and Kiyomi both let out snorts.

"Not in the way you'd think," Kiyomi said, smirking slightly.

"Saiketsu, their kekkei genkai, controls blood," Sayuri explained.

"Geez, between you guys and Ino, you've got pretty much the whole body covered," Shikamaru grunted.

"Wow, so do all of you guys have a kekkei genkai?" Kankuro asked, impressed. He looked at Kiyomi. "What's yours?"

Kiyomi flushed and glared at the blanket between her feet. "Don't have one."

Kankuro winced. "Oh, eh… heh…" Temari smacked him.

"Ooh, look!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing to the sky. The first of the fireworks burst overhead and conversation stopped except for ooh and aahing at the colors and shapes that lit up the night sky. There were a few standard bursts of colors, followed by the shape of the Land of Fire, and ending with the signature leaf of Konoha. When the green of that faded, everyone broke into applause.

"That was really impressive," Sakura exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was totally cool!" Naruto agreed.

"What did you think, Sasuke?" Ino cooed.

"It was alright," Sasuke muttered, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"I thought it was lovely," Miyako disagreed, and Hinata nodded.

"The best thing I've ever seen," Sayuri put in.

"I wouldn't go that- Oh," Kiba deadpanned, and Sayuri smirked slightly.

"Oh indeed."

They stood and began gathering the blankets back up, Ino and Skura folding one while Shino and Hinata folded the other.

"Hn, this was fun," Kiyomi sighed, stretching languidly.

"There's still some time until the festivities end," Miyako pointed out. "Anything else you wanted to do?"

"_Ramen!"_ Naruto exclaimed.

"_No!"_ the rest of his team shouted back.

"We could just play a few games?" Hinata suggested softly.

"I bet I could totally kick your butt at that!" Naruto said, pointing to a stall where you tried to pop balloons with darts.

"As if," Sasuke snorted.

"I could wipe the floor with both of you!" Kiba bragged. "What about you, Shikamaru?"

Suddenly it dissolved into a testosterone-fueled race to one up each other for the guys, the girls hanging back to cheer on their teammates. Even Kankuro got involved in a few of the games, though Gaara lingered on the fringes. As they moved through the crowds from game to game people broke off, heading home. Shino was one of the first, followed by Shikamaru and his team. Kiba and Sasuke were next, Hinata and Sakura some of the last to head out.

"G'night you guys!" Naruto waved as he headed off.

"We can walk you back to your hotel," Miyako offered the Sand trio.

"Like I said, it's probably not good for you to be wandering around on your own," Sayuri nodded.

"We can handle ourselves," Temari said, mildly offended.

"But if you have to and someone gets hurt?" Sayuri challenged. Temari submitted, seeing the wisdom of a Konoha escort. They group started off in the direction of the hotel where the Suna-nin were staying.

It was quickly proven that Sayuri's caution was a good thing when a quartet of civilians staggered out of an alleyway, one holding a bottle in his hand. They were all completely plastered, but one of them was still seeing clear enough to notice Temari's headband. His eyes narrowed as he focused and a snarl crossed his face.

"Hey, it's some of those Suna bastards!" he exclaimed.

"The hell're you doin' in our vill'ge?" one of his companions slurred.

"Their presence has been approved by the Hokage," Kiyomi said pointedly. "So if you four… fine gentlemen," she sneered, "will let us pass…"

"No way in hell!" the third snapped. "You're with them, aren'tcha? Traitor bitch!"

"Ooh, be careful," Kiyomi warned, face tightening at the insult. "I don't want to have to get violent."

"Really, we don't want any trouble," Temari said, stepping forwards and trying to mediate.

"Shut up!" the fourth shouted, and tried to backhand her. However, he was a drunken civilian and Temari was a trained shinobi. Temari instinctively grabbed his wrist and yanked it behind his back faster than a blink. Kankuro stepped forwards, ready to defend his sister, and Gaara reached back for the cork on his gourd. Miyako touched Kankuro's shoulder and shook her head gently. Sayuri's hand snapped up and she grabbed Gaara's wrist stopping him.

"Let us handle it," she whispered to him, stepping forwards.

Temari, realizing what she'd done, quickly released the man and stepped back behind the line of Konoha kunoichi. None of the Sand Siblings particularly liked letting the three girls defend them, but Sayuri was right in saying it was safer.

"Hand them over," one of the man snapped, the scent of alcohol rolling off of him.

"No," Miyako said firmly. "They're our friends and we're not going to let you try anything."

Temari and Kankuro blinked at Miyako, who seemingly had grown a backbone out of nowhere.

"They're jus' girls," one of the men slurred. "We c'n take'em."

Kiyomi smirked. "Oh you can, can you?" She raised her thumb to her mouth and Sayuri's hands lowered to her obi, loosening it enough to shrug the top of her robes off, revealing her bandaged chest. The men's eyes bulged lewdly and they grinned. Kiyomi bit her thumb sharply.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

The men's expressions changed to disgust and horror as Sayuri's bones burst out of her chest and a bear appeared, looming over Kiyomi. They paled and fled in terror, stumbling over each other and flinging their companions behind them.

"Well done," Kiyomi grinned, raising a hand. Sayuri slapped it and the bones retreated into her chest as she readjusted her robes. Kiyomi turned to the bear behind her.

"Good job Kuma," she praised.

"Oh shucks," the bear said, waving a paw in what might have been an absent manner except for the animal's sheer bulk. "I bet you could have scared them off on your own, Lady Kiyomi."

Kiyomi smiled smugly and drew herself up proudly. "Eh, maybe," she grinned.

"I think we're gonna get along well," Temari grinned at the trio, who smiled in reply.


	20. Affection

**Truth: She cared about him that deeply.**

Kiyomi, Miyako, and Sayuri slept innocently in their beds, oblivious to the Sound-nin in the village, to Sasuke's defection, oblivious to anything except their dreams.

Sayuri twisted in her sheets, a frown on her face.

_Kimimaro smiled slightly at her through the bars… He'd never smiled at her before._

She clenched her pillow tightly.

"_What kind of flower is this?" he asked in awe._

"_It's called a lily."_

"_It's beautiful…"_

Her lips tilted up slightly.

_He reached through the bars and stroked her hands. "How come they're cut so much?"_

"_My knife slips when I'm carving sometimes."_

"_Making the carvings… hurts you?"_

"_Sometimes."_

"_Then why make them if they hurt?"_

"_Well, they don't always… And besides, you like them."_

Sayuri rolled back over, face unconsciously tilting towards the window where the flowers were displayed. _"Kimimaro…"_

* * *

Sayuri spent the next morning leisurely. Ayano had canceled training for today – apparently she wanted them well-rested for a mission they were to go on in a few days. She was promising another C-rank since the last one went well, despite the unexpected attacks. Instead of working herself to the bone Sayuri was for once following Ayano's advice and doing a bit of straightening before sitting down with a steaming cup of tea to relax for a while.

She was making vague plans of perhaps doing some carving or spending some extra time and preparing something special for dinner, when something made her sit up sharply. Something was tickling at the edge of her mind, like a half-forgotten task. It was odd, flitting around the edges. She couldn't quite place it, like getting a whiff of perfume in a crowd and being unable to tell who wore it. A face drifted into view. Grey hair, red markings.

_Kimimaro…?_

Sayuri rose and set her cup on the table, drifting towards her room. She went to the window and trailed her fingers over one of the carved flowers there. The lily, she knew from the curve of the petals. A faint bit of chakra lingered in it, the remembrance of the one who loved it so much once.

Sayuri's head snapped up and she gasped as she realized what it was she was sensing. Kimimaro, far away, but coming closer, closer, closer… He was miles out, and it was only her familiarity with him and her longing for him that made her able to sense him from so far away, but it was definitely him.

"He's alive," she choked out, tears rising to her eyes.

Kimimaro.

Alive.

_Here._

Sayuri turned on her heel and seized her kunai holster and hip pouch from the table by her bed, attaching them with fingers that were suddenly much less nimble than they usually were. She felt the presence of strong shinobi in that direction and she wouldn't let them stop her if they tried to attack. She clumsily knotted her hitai-ate over her eyes as she ran to the door, cramming her feet into her sandals before shooting outside. She ignored the roads, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, legs stretching to their limits as she crossed wide gaps.

_Kimimaro…_

_Kimimaro…_

_Kimimaro..._

Her feet and heart pounded in time with the word running through her mind. He was nearby, and nothing and nobody would stop her from going to him, from seeing if her dream was actually a reality, if he really was alive.

* * *

"You look like her," Gaara murmured, staring at his opponent. The sea-green eyes, red markings below and above, the structure of his face, the grey hair, even down to the way it was cut, reminded him of the girl that he called friend and his demon called prey.

In his drunken state before, Lee hadn't noticed, but now his recovering brain made the connection between their appearance and their shared use of bones to attack.

"Sayuri," he whispered. "You are correct."

The name brought to mind a story that Sayuri had once told him, back when he tried to kill the very man now standing at his side while he was nearly comatose in a hospital bed…

* * *

As the two groups faced down, Sayuri sprinted through the trees. She forced herself to ignore the fights she sensed, to give them a wide berth no matter what she felt happen, or who it happened to. She had one priority. Kimimaro, she had to get to him.

With every footfall she drew closer and her heart hammered harder, her anticipation only rising. She would see him, _finally_ see him, after three years of believing him dead at the hands of Kirigakure shinobi, her first and best friend.

The only thing that made her stutter was when she felt him begin to fight. She knew his opponent, and it concerned her. First it was Naruto, with chakra rolling off of him in a way that made her sure he was utterly furious. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what Kimimaro might have done to make him so angry.

But then Sasuke inexplicably took off, his chakra feeling slightly off, and Naruto followed him, leaving Lee behind to fight in his place. Now she worried not only for Kimimaro, but for Lee. She knew he'd only recently come out of surgery; it had been widely anticipated by the shinobi of Konoha to see if he would pull through. He was in no shape to fight someone like Kimimaro now.

And then Gaara of all people appeared, taking up a place opposite of Kimimaro with Lee at his side, facing off. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what the sand ninja was doing there, particularly when she felt his siblings in the surrounding woods as well.

But that ceased to matter – everything ceased to matter – when she began to draw agonizingly close, just a few yards away. The trees thinned around her, opening into a clearing, and she could hear voices. They guided her. Lee's curious avoidance of contractions, Gaara's rasp, and a low, smooth tone that sent shivers of vague recognition down her spine.

"She's coming," Gaara said, turning to face the tree line as he felt the chakra signature coming closer. Perhaps she could explain this man to them, since they were so similar.

Lee turned in that direction, and so did Kimimaro, an odd expression on his face, almost as if he were struggling to recall something from long ago.

A figure appeared on the edge of the trees, face flushed with exertion. Sayuri was sweating and trembling, eyes searching the meadow sightlessly before locking onto Kimimaro, undoubtedly sensing him just as easily as the others she was familiar with.

Sayuri's heart had stopped when she arrived at the edge of the clearing. She'd felt him turn towards her, felt his head tilt, felt the others look at her… She didn't care what they thought, no matter whether they saw Kimimaro as the enemy. He was here and he was alive and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to go to him!

Sayuri ran towards him, tears streaming down her face. She stopped just short of the bones protruding from his chest, panting and vibrating with emotion. For a moment, Kimimaro seemed to observe her. For a heart-stopping instant she feared he didn't recognize her. Then…

"You…" he said softly. His voice washed over her for the first time in years and she shuddered at the sound of it. "You're alive."

She heard the soft squishing sound as the bones retracted and Sayuri leapt at him, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing.

Kimimaro couldn't believe it. The girl he'd only glimpsed without bars separating them, the person who'd cared about him, who told him stories and sat with him and touched him and spoke to him as if he wasn't something disgusting… She was _here,_ here in _Konoha_, here in his _arms._ He'd always dreamed of holding her as a child. She'd told him once that a hug from someone you loved was supposed to be the securest you could ever feel, and he'd _yearned _for that.

"You're alive, you're alive, you're alive," she murmured over and over into his neck. Slowly, his arms came up behind her back, holding her lightly, and Sayuri shamelessly luxuriated in the touch as he did the same, both just reveling in finally being able to hold their dearest friend close. This was the first time they had ever been able to be like this without the bars of his cell in the way.

Sayuri pulled back and began eagerly running her fingers over his face, feeling all the differences and painting a new picture of the older Kimimaro in her mind. She easily ripped off her clumsily-tied hitai-ate, exposing her eyes and markings. It made no difference to her, but Sayuri wanted him to see her.

Gaara and Rock Lee had been surprised by her sudden charge at their enemy. When she embraced him, and he her, that had further stunned them speechless for a moment. Now that was going away.

"Sayuri, get away from him!" Lee called fearfully. "He is with Orochimaru! We need to take him out!"

Sayuri whirled, a snarl carved on her face. Both Gaara and Lee were shocked to see so much harsh emotion on her face, and directed at them.

"Touch him and I'll kill you," she hissed viciously, bones sliding from her skin in warning.

Kimimaro's eyes narrowed in rage when he saw the bones. Betrayal glittered there. He gripped the bone in her hand tightly. Sayuri paled as she realized what she'd done, what she may have just ruined, and in that moment she _hated_ herself. "You have it. You have it and you kept it secret so you wouldn't end up in a cage like me," he hissed.

Sayuri froze at the anger in his voice. She could have sobbed, this time in regret. This was her greatest fear, realized. "I should have told you, I know, but I couldn't stand the idea of you hating me for my freedom. You were all I had, the first person I ever loved. I couldn't tell the others. I already had no sight, I couldn't face losing anything else. The feel of the breeze and the grass… Things you had never felt and things I couldn't bear to give up! Please don't hate me. I couldn't bear it if you did." She was shamelessly pleading with him, begging him not to hate her, not to turn away from her.

Kimimaro was silent, staring down at her, but the anger was gone. He found he couldn't hate her. They'd each been trapped in their own way as children. She'd only done what she had to prevent her chains from becoming tighter. He couldn't blame her for that. He would have done the same thing.

It had been so _long..._ The joy of seeing her washed away any old hurts.

Sayuri looked at him. She frowned slightly, cupping his cheeks again. It felt so right, so perfect, to hold his face in between her palms again, but something about the dimensions… His cheeks were too sunken, his face skeletal in a way it hadn't been even when he was starved.

"Something's wrong with you," she said softly, stroking his cheeks. "Are you sick? Are you ill? Kimimaro, tell me, let me fix it."

Kimimaro looked down at her. "I am dying," he said simply. "My lungs will not work properly. I should be dead now, but I am not. My purpose is to serve Lord Orochimaru, however I can with this broken body," Kimimaro explained. "That is all that keeps me alive."

"He sent you here to die-!" Sayuri began furiously, eyes narrowing in rage.

"He did not!" he hissed with more vehemence than she knew he was capable of. The simmering anger had mellowed over the years, but it was still there, buried deep.

"Please," she begged. "All of the time the Kaguyas stole from us with their battle lust, we can take back. Please, I'm begging you, stay here and find a new purpose with me! Here you can have family and friends and be loved instead of being a tool. I would be perfectly content if my purpose from now until the day I die was making you happy and showing you all the wonderful things I've found here. God knows you deserve it."

"My loyalty is to Lord Orochimaru," Kimimaro said, although he sounded somewhat hesitant. Sayuri didn't need to see to know he was looking into her eyes and searching her expression.

"Kill me then, because I won't let you go back to him," she said. She reached up and shrugged the top of her shirt away, baring her throat and chest for a quick, easy kill strike. "Go ahead, I won't try and stop you. But I won't knowingly see you go back to him."

"And what is the alternative?" he demanded, gripping her upper arms tightly. "Do you think you can bring me back to Konoha and we could live together and talk like we once did? Are you truly so naïve? They would never accept me in your village."

"They might. But if they didn't, then I would leave," Sayuri said, voice ringing with confidence. She was not bluffing. She was dead serious, the look in her eye totally determined and at peace with the decision. If he didn't come with her, then she would give up everything and go with him. She honestly cared about him that deeply.

He had never been more shocked in his life. She would give up her position, the respect of her friends, a life with loved ones, all for him, a distant relative she hadn't seen in years?

"You really would, wouldn't you?" he asked softly.

"In a heartbeat. But I would rather just share my life with you."

His breath caught. "Nigate…"

Lee heard the name and bristled. "Hey, do not call her that! Sayuri has fought to become-"

"_Shut up, Lee," _Sayuri snapped. "He can call me what he likes. Besides, for a time, it was my acknowledged name." She looked back at Kimimaro. "Please-" she began again.

"My life is Lord Orochimaru's," Kimimaro swore. Sayuri's heart broke.

"Then I'll go to him," she whispered. "I-I could take your place!" she offered in a desperate attempt. "Kimimaro, so much of your life was spent in a cage, and now the bars are gone, but you're still chained. If I could take your position I would, if it meant you were free to live your life as you wanted."

"I _want_ to be with Lord Orochimaru," Kimimaro insisted. "He gave me my purpose. I will do anything I can do make his dream come true."

"What about my dream, Kimimaro?" Sayuri asked softly, recalling a long, long time ago when they were on opposite sides of a barred door.

"_I wish we could be together forever. That's my greatest dream."_

"_So long as it's in my power, I'll make that happen. I promise."_

"You've given him everything but your life," Sayuri begged. "Please, give me your _company_ if nothing else. I'm begging you Kimimaro! Now that I know you're alive, I… I can't lose you again!" she sobbed, burying her face in his chest. She clutched him to her tightly. "You were the first person I ever cared about, and the most amazing thing was that you cared about me too! If you don't come back to the hospital with me, you will die! I'm _begging_ you… Kimimaro _please! Come with me! Don't leave me alone again! I can't do it, not again!" _she shrieked.

Kimimaro's eyes were wide as Sayuri clung to him and screamed, her tears dripping onto his chest. He'd never seen her like this before. In the years he'd known her, she was so restrained. She couldn't have changed so much that this was normal for her. This was important to her, the most important thing. She needed him more than anything else.

He was _needed._

The thought made him feel warm inside for the first time in a long time. Orochinaru had only ever wanted him, never needed him. He'd known, as soon as he'd fallen ill, that Orochimaru no longer wanted him. He wasn't of any use to the man anymore beyond what he'd done. If he went to Konoha with her, he could be healed. He could return to Orochimaru as a healthy servant and take his place at the sannin's side again.

But he'd missed her, _god_ he'd missed her! He remembered every moment vividly, how her smiles brought light to his cell, how she tried so hard to let him know what was beyond the cavern where he was imprisoned. He remembered the long hours she'd spent simply trying to explain the sensation of the sun on your skin. Most of all, he remembered the flowers she brought him, the real ones perfuming the cave, the wooden ones tucked away and preserving the memories.

Could he have that again? That feeling of being needed? It was never quite the same with Orochimaru. Sure, there he'd been wanted, but he hadn't been _needed_. Look how easily he was replaced, and, if Kabuto's tone was anything to go by, Orochimaru wanted this new vessel more than he'd _ever_ wanted Kimimaro. But Nigate was here, clutching him, _needing _him… and it felt _wonderful._

Loyalty to Orohimaru was all that was keeping Kimimaro standing, and the moment that wavered, his strength began to fade. He fell like a puppet with its strings cut, pitching forwards into her arms.

Her heart froze, her breath caught.

"Kimimaro, Kimimaro!" Sayuri screamed in fear as she caught him, struggling under his weight. She pressed her fingers to his throat and was relieved to feel a pulse there, but it was weak and thready. She whirled, casting around in Lee and Gaara's direction.

"Help me!" she begged them. "Help me get him to Tsunade! Help me please! He can't die, he can't! He can't!" she sobbed brokenly. "Please!" she screamed.

For a moment neither man moved, too shocked by what they'd witnessed. They'd realized very quickly that Sayuri and this Kimimaro had to be related, but they hadn't realized how close they were, close enough to have Sayuri nearing an emotional meltdown at the idea of losing him.

It was Gaara who moved first, taking a step forwards, and then Lee. The sand in his gourd rustled and drifted across the field towards her. She understood his plan and shifted Kimimaro's weight, lowering him gently onto the sand. He lay there, still, breath coming in horrible rattling gasps.

"We have to get him to the hospital," she said softly. "Lady Tsunade, she'll fix him, she has to."

"Sayuri?" Lee asked, crossing the field and placing a hand on her shoulder. The touch made her flinch and suddenly her eyes snapped up, pinning him.

"Let's move," she said, gesturing for them to follow her. "I don't know how bad he is or how long he has left. I will not be responsible for his death, not again."

With that enigmatic statement, Sayuri turned and started running, leaving Lee and Gaara no choice but to follow her, Kimimaro drifting along behind them on a bed of shifting sand.

Sayuri was more afraid than she'd ever been. Kimimaro… there was something very wrong with him. He'd just collapsed, seemingly mid-thought, with no visible prompting. She was no med-nin, had no idea what was wrong with him or how to fix him. She had to get him to the hospital, to people who could fix him.

She'd softened him, kept him from killing the Kaguya the moment he was released from his cage, and she had thought it ended in his death. Apparently it ended in the death of everyone except him, but she'd still blamed herself. If he died now, while she was with him, helpless, then his blood really would be on her hands, no doubt about it. She couldn't handle that.

Still, she couldn't force herself to avoid the downed comrades she felt along the way. She guided Gaara and Lee through the forest. The first person they hit was Neji, a huge, bloody wound in his side. Lee had exclaimed in horror upon seeing his teammate before rushing to pick him up and place him on the sand stretcher next to Kimimaro.

"If only Miyako were here," Sayuri cursed, eying the blood that dripped from Neji's wound and was absorbed into Gaara's sand.

Next was Choji, who seemed alarmingly much thinner than usual, his clothes hanging off of him loosely. It had been a simple matter for Lee to lift him and lay him out beside the other two. Gaara trusted his siblings to take care of the other two, so that was the last stop, and then they were running again.

They charged past Izumo and Kotetsu at the gate and raced through Konoha, drawing shouts of protest and annoyance as they rushed past civilians and shinobi alike in a mad dash for the hospital.

* * *

Tsunade was burning off steam in the hospital. For her, tending minor wounds was a mindless way to burn off excess energy. A defection, sending Shikamaru off with a team like that… God knew what was going on out there right now.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade looked up from her patient's bedside in shock as a nurse burst in, wide-eyed and panting.

"What the hell's gotten into you?" Tsunade demanded.

"You've got to come see this, my lady," the nurse gasped, pointing down the hallway. "Your help is needed immediately!"

Tsunade rushed past the nurse, low heels clacking on the tiled floors as the swept down the hallway in the direction the nurse had pointed. She turned the corner and blinked. Rock Lee, Gaara of the Sand, and Sayuri Kaguya stood beside a huge roiling mass of sand, three people balanced on it. Her stomach dropped slightly as she saw two of the members of the team sent to retrieve Sasuke, Neji Hyuga and Choji Akimichi.

"Lady Tsunade, we have injured that need immediate attention!" Lee announced.

"You should be in bed. Go. Now," Tsunade said shortly, gesturing viciously in the direction of his hospital room. Lee paled and immediately skittered in that direction.

Tsuande looked at the unfamiliar third occupant. Her eyes locked on the distinctive purple rope bow around the man's waist. One of Orochimaru's, and going by his features, one Sayuri was probably related to, which explained her frantic expression.

"Take him to the Torture and Interrogation Force," Tsuande ordered one of the nurses.

"Get back!" Sayuri roared at the nurses that moved forwards, bones sliding from her hands. She turned to Tsuande, eyes pleading. "He's sick, I don't know what's wrong with him, he said there was something wrong with his lungs, that he was going to die. You _have_ to heal him Lady Tsunade, _please!"_

"We have bigger problems than your injured cousin, or whatever he is to you!" Tsunade shouted, attempting to cow Sayuri, but she would not be swayed. "Get those two to the OR and alert the best surgeons we have to get themselves ready," she added to a pair of nurses.

"What else has happened?" Sayuri demanded as two nurses bustled forwards, giving both her and Gaara a wide berth as they retrieved Choji and Neji.

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sasuke Uchiha has defected to Orochimaru," she grunted.

Sayuri blinked, momentarily stunned. _Sasuke… defected… to Orochimaru?_ While the news was startling, she didn't care with Kimimaro possibly dying right next to her.

"Treat him, or Konoha loses two shinobi instead of one today." Sayuri said dangerously. "If he dies here, I will leave and do everything in my power to tear Konoha down brick by brick and make this village _pay _for his death."

Tsunade blinked. This kid was serious, and she had _guts_.

So from a political standpoint, it had merit. One of Orochimaru's men could be interrogated, already had a tie to the village, one he was clearly close to, that they could use to get him to open up. They needed to know where Orochimaru was. He absolutely _could not_ get his hands on the sharingan. That would make him even more impossibly difficult to defeat if and when they tracked him down.

"We'll get to him," Tsunade finally said, and gestured to the nurses to retrieve Kimimaro from the sand. She glanced at Gaara. "The others?"

"Temari and Kankuro will take care of them," Gaara replied with certainty.

"Good," Tsuande said, shaking her head helplessly. "We can't afford to lose any more shinobi today."


	21. Respectable

**Truth: You are a good man.**

Sayuri wasn't pleased. She was logical enough to know that they would not get to Kimimaro quickly.

That didn't mean she had to like it.

The problem was that there were worse wounds, people closer to death that Kimimaro was, and besides, he was the enemy. His purple sash proclaimed him as an ally of Orochimaru's for all to see. He was stabilized and sent to a room to wait as Neji and Choji were worked on by a frantic team of med-nin, headed by Lady Tsunade and her assistant, Shizune.

By the time they got to him hours later, Sayuri was pacing restlessly outside of Kimimaro's hospital room. Every time a nurse came in or out with something she tried to get a sense of how he was doing, but his presence was different than it used to be. She couldn't tell what was caused by illness and what was simply him getting older.

Gaara had seated himself in one of the chairs as soon as the three patients were taken off his hands, eyes tracking Sayuri as she paced. She looked like a stressed-out mess, quite a contrast from the put-together girl she usually was. He had been completely thrown when she broke down at the sight of Kimimaro. He clearly meant more to her than someone like him could ever understand.

"You should sit," he said, and she flinched.

His voice had startled her, and she knew he was right. Wearing a hole in the tile and worrying herself into madness would do nothing for Kimimaro. She flopped into the chair next to her and braced her elbows on her knees, face buried in her hands.

The silence was uncomfortable and oppressive. "Do you… want to talk about it?" Gaara offered awkwardly.

"Do you actually care?" Sayuri challenged, a snappish tinge to her voice as she lifted her head and faced him.

He wasn't entirely sure he could honestly answer yes. While she claimed to be his friend, they weren't actually that close. Sure, he could see that she was on edge because of Kimimaro's appearance, but he wasn't sure they were really close enough for him to ask about it.

"I care… that you're upset," he replied honestly. She raised an eyebrow, a tremulous smile crossing her lips.

"I suppose that's enough." She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. He stared at her profile, waiting for her to speak.

"As a child, I was slave," she began. "Much sooner than is really reasonable, Kaguya children are left to fend on their own. If they can't take care of themselves, they die. Survival of the fittest, ensuring the clan stays strong. Despite my infirmity, I lived. However, I was not only a girl, but blind, and therefore useless except as a worker. I cooked meals for the men, I cleaned the camp, I mended their clothes, and washed their sheets, long into the night. If I didn't finish everything or if I messed up, I was beaten. It amused them to move things into my path or trip me and watch me fall."

"Did your mother… do nothing?" Gaara asked, pressing her to continue. She was speaking differently than usual, more formally, but this was clearly helping and he was quite proud of himself that he was actually making her feel slightly better.

Sayuri scoffed. "That's not quite how it works in the Kaguya. The fight is everything. If a man wants to have a child and continue the clan he leaves and finds a prostitute, or any woman willing. If there is a child, he takes it. Most of the girls die, and those that don't are sent away into the forest instead of being inducted into the clan. After all, women cannot fight." She smirked slightly. "Something I delighted in proving wrong when I came here. I was kept around because I worked hard and was amusing. At the time, I was the only girl in the camp."

Gaara blinked at that. He'd thought that Suna was harsh in training its shinobi. The Kaguya were just as tough if not moreso. They did not tolerate weakness in any form, apparently.

"Kimimaro was one of my duties," Sayuri explained. "He had the Shikotsumyaku, the rare and coveted kekkei genkai of the Kaguya. He'd displayed it as a child, and out of fear they locked him away in a cell in a dark cave. I was to feed him three times a day. As the years passed, we became friends. We were the only people we had, us against the world of the Kaguya."

"But you have the kekkei genkai as well."

"Yes, but I didn't know until I was much older. I knew what Kimimaro could do. When I was alone one day I tried it, and it worked. I told no one, not even Kimimaro. If the Kaguya found out, I would be locked up just like him. I knew that I already had lost my eyes, I couldn't stand to lose any other feelings and sensations."

Gaara remained silent, waiting for her to continue. Sayuri ran her fingers through her gray hair and sighed. "Then came the day the Kaguya clan went to war. We'd always lived close to Kirigakure, and as I said, the fight is everything to the Kaguya. They let Kimimaro out of his cage and attacked, purely to show how ferocious they were. You must understand, the Kaguya have no tactics for battle. They refuse to back down even when completely outnumbered and outmatched. They would fight to the death just for fun, for bloodlust."

"I was left behind, of course, the only one. I had prepared the evening meal, assuming they'd be back, down a few people, of course, but that they would return. But they didn't come, not that night or any night after for a week. There was no sign of Kimimaro and I finally had to accept that they had all died, and I assumed he had died with them."

"I see," Gaara nodded, though he didn't. The level of attachment she had to Kimimaro was something he wasn't capable of understanding, and that disappointed him slightly. He'd thought he was getting so much better at dealing with people, at being human instead of a snarling monster, but things like this were still beyond him, and it was just a reminder of how far he would have to go.

"Sayuri!"

Sayuri stood up sharply as three people came charging down the hall. Ayano, Satoru, and Miyako. Satoru collided with her in a hug, Ayano placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What the hell happened?" Ayano demanded. "We heard you were running around with Gai's double and that redheaded sand midget and some corpses."

Satoru pushed her back and looked her over critically.

"Are you alright?" he asked seriously.

"I'm alright," Sayuri replied, and a smile actually made an appearance. "I haven't been this good in years." She seized Satoru's shoulders and pulled him close. "He's alive, Satoru. Kimimaro, he's _alive!"_

Satoru blinked dazedly. "Your friend? I thought…"

"So did I, but he's not dead, he's been alive this whole time!" Sayuri said, sheer delight in her voice now that the reality was sinking in. _Kimimaro was alive!_ "He's sick, but Tsuande's treating him now, so he should be alright. He has to be," she said, the happiness overtaken by worry for a moment.

"My father told me," Miyako spoke up shyly. "He was one of the ones assigned to Neji's case when you brought the three of them in and he heard his name was Kimimaro. I had a hunch…" She proffered a bundle of red silk to her. "I brought these. I know you don't like people touching them, but I thought…"

"No, no, I'm glad you did!" Sayuri said, taking the bundle eagerly. She stroked the silk lovingly. "I need to return these…"

It was at that moment that a troupe of weary-looking nurses and med-nin made their way out of Kimimaro's room, Tsunade bringing up the rear and shutting the door behind her as the others scattered to other duties.

"Well?" Sayuri stared at her desperately.

"Quit looking like someone died," Tsuande snapped. "He'll be fine. He'll have to come back a couple times a month for checkups, but he should pull through and become the pinnacle of health."

"Thank god," Sayuri breathed. Ayano and Satoru both hugged her, smiling supportively.

"He's been put in chakra cuffs," Tsunade added quickly. "He _will_ be questioned by Ibiki, but not until he's more stable, probably in a week. Depending on how cooperative he is, we _may_ offer him asylum," she said, stressing the condition. "Otherwise, he'll likely be executed."

"Whoa, wait, why?" Satoru protested.

"He was working with Orochimaru," Gaara spoke up, rising and making his presence known. Satoru blinked at that.

"I… see."

Ayano looked Gaara over. "Well, not a midget anymore. Way to grow kid," she nodded before turning back to Tsunade.

"One more thing," Tsunade said to Sayuri.

"Yes?"

"He's awake, and you can see him, but try to help him get away, and you'll be on trial with him." She caught Sayuri's arm as the girl tried to push past her, desperate to see Kimimaro. "Don't ever threaten me again, or I'll pound you into pulp and put _you_ in one of these hospital beds," Tsunade warned, before releasing the girl and continuing after her nurses.

Sayuri turned back to them, smiling nervously. "Who wants to meet Kimimaro?" she asked hesitantly.

"I think everyone's curious about this kid," Ayano said, entering the room curiously with Satoru following after her and Miyako bringing up the rear.

Gaara made to go to the entrance of the hospital, intending to meet his siblings when they came in.

"Gaara, where are you going?" Gaara looked back at her, surprised. Sayuri was leaned back through the door. "Come and meet him." She gestured for him to follow. Shocked that she wanted him along, he wordlessly moved towards the hospital room.

Kimimaro was sitting up in bed. He looked like hell, his hair mussed and his face pale, dark circles lingering under his eyes, but he watched them all with sharp eyes. Thin silver bangles rested on each of his wrists, sealing his chakra and preventing him from using his kekkei genkai. Since he was also gifted at taijutsu, long handcuffs fastened his wrists and ankles to the bed.

His eyes lingered on Sayuri. "How long until they kill me?" he asked. "By bringing me here you have saved me and damned me," he accused.

"If you cooperate and tell them what they want, they may give you asylum," Sayuri explained hopefully.

"I don't want asylum," Kimimaro said. "I want to return to Lord Orochimaru." His voice rose slightly on the end in irritation. "I am healed, I can serve him."

"He has Sasuke now, Kimimaro," Sayuri said brokenly. Ayano cursed sharply and Satoru inhaled. Miyako actually squeaked. They hadn't known. She glanced at the others in the room and forced herself to get it together. She wouldn't cry in front of them. "I-I can't stop you if you want to do that, much as I wish I could. I could never make you unhappy, Kimimaro." She moved forwards and sat on the edge of his bed by his leg, pulling a rolling tray table over towards him and laying out the red silk on it.

"What is that?" Kimimaro asked, nodding to it.

"In a moment," Sayuri said, sounding almost chastising. It was so tempting to just pretend it was like when they were children. "First I have people for you to meet."

"I know him," Kimimaro said, tilting his head towards Gaara. "Gaara of the Sand."

"Yes," Sayuri nodded. "He's one of my friends."

"A friend of yours," Kimimaro repeated slowly.

"This is Miyako Hasekura," Sayuri said, gesturing to Miyako. The girl came forwards nervously. "She's my teammate, and one of my best friends."

Miyako bowed deeply. "It's an honor to meet you, Kimimaro," she said softly. "Sayuri has told me a lot about you. She has missed you, and she loves you very much."

Kimimaro's eyebrows furrowed slightly in surprise when she said that. "I… see." His eyes drifted to Sayuri, who blinked back at him, unashamed.

"This is my teacher, Ayano Soma," she said, and Ayano stepped forwards.

"You must a pretty spectacular guy for my Sayuri to be so hung up on you," she said, looking him over unabashedly. "You don't look it right now though, I've gotta say."

"Ayano Soma," Kimimaro repeated slowly. "Konoha's Lightning Bolt, Izazuma Ayano. We were warned to watch out for you."

"I'm flattered," Ayano said proudly. "That's probably best. I would have fried your ass if I'd been the one sent after you."

Sayuri coughed. "This is Satoru Minamoto. He's my guardian."

Satoru moved forwards and waved awkwardly. "Uh, hey. Nice to meet you. Like Miyako said, I've heard a lot about you. From what Sayuri's told me, you're pretty important to her." His face hardened. "And she's like my own kid. So if you screw her over, I'll hunt you down and make you eat your entrails," he warned seriously. Kimimaro blinked at that.

"Whoa, kitty's got claws," Ayano chuckled. "Meow, Satoru. It's kinda sexy when you get all protective."

Satoru flushed and stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Ayano," he whined. "Not in front of the kids."

"Killjoy," Ayano complained, but she smiled at him genuinely.

"You have an odd collection of companions," Kimimaro said, looking at the quartet assembled by his bedside.

"Hey, you're hanging out with Orochimaru," Ayano countered. Kimimaro's eyes burned, and he opened his mouth to defend the sannin. Sayuri cut him off, gesturing to the silk.

"Guess what's inside," she said.

"There's no point in that. I have nothing to go off of," Kimimaro refused.

"The only things worth something in the Kaguya camp," Sayuri offered as a hint.

For a moment Kimimaro looked like a child begging for a favorite toy, but he quickly schooled his features. His hands were shaking slightly as he reached for the silk, unfolding it. Nestled inside were a little over a dozen carved wooden flowers, some of the edges slightly worn from years of being turned over in hands. _His_ hands, mostly.

He couldn't believe it. She had kept the flowers all these years, rescued them from the dark depths of his cell and brought them into the light, taking care of them and keeping them near all this time. These carved flowers had been his companions in the dark when she wasn't there. It was a joy to have them back and he felt a rush of affection for her for salvaging them and not leaving them to rot. But then, she knew how much they'd meant to him.

"I thought you were dead," Sayuri said softly. "I thought, when I left, that at least a part of you should be free. It was all I had left…" She trailed off and shrugged, unable to explain beyond that why she'd taken them.

"Nigate," he whispered, looking from the flowers to her.

"Now wait a second!" Ayano protested hotly at the name.

Sayuri held up a hand. "That's what the Kaguya called me, my only name for years."

"It's true," Satoru nodded. "I helped her pick a name when I first met her. She goes by Sayuri Kaguya now," he added to Kimimaro.

Kimimaro trailed a finger over the carved lily. "One of my favorites." He stared at her and rolled the name around in his mouth. "Sayuri…"

His eyelids drooped and Sayuri realized how selfish she was being. Clearly there had been something critical wrong with him – something she was honestly afraid to ask Tsunade about – and he'd just recently had treatment. Here she was keeping him up when he probably just wanted to sleep.

As if to prove her right, a nurse poked her head in and announced, "I'm sorry, but visiting hours ended ten minutes ago. I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Do you want me to come back?" Sayuri asked Kimimaro hopefully, fully aware that he may not want to see her. After all, she'd gotten him captured. For the sake of his health, but still.

He looked at her for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

"Thank you," Sayuri nodded, rising. She laid her hand over his on one of the flowers and smiled softly before turning and ushering everyone else out. "He needs his re- oh!"

Sayuri smacked face-first into the lintel and rebounded onto the ground, falling on her rear. She blinked sightlessly at the ceiling in surprise.

"Who put that there?" she demanded indignantly. "Thank you," she added as Ayano hauled her upright.

"The architect did, Miss Grace," Ayano snorted as they migrated into the hallway.

Miyako glanced back as she shut the door behind her and saw the slightest of smiles twitch at the corner of Kimimaro's lips.

_All is forgiven,_ she thought.

"Gaara!" Kankuro exclaimed. He and Temari shot up from the uncomfortable chairs Gaara and Sayuri had been waiting in earlier. "We heard you got back safely!"

"What were you doing in there?" Temari asked.

"That was my fault," Sayuri said, stepping forwards. Kankuro and Temari were both surprised to see her. They hadn't realized she had been part of the team to retrieve Sasuke. "Kimimaro was among Orochimaru's men."

"Who?" Temari asked blankly.

"An old friend who I thought was dead," she expanded. "Gaara helped me get him back here and stayed with me."

Kankuro and Temari both looked at their brother in surprise. He met their eyes and looked back, daring them to comment.

"I'll give you permission to be late to training just this once," Ayano said pointedly to Sayuri. "I get this is big for you, but be there by noon or I'll come after you."

"Yes ma'am," Sayuri replied sharply.

"Good girl," Ayano nodded approvingly. She pecked Satoru on the lips and headed for the exit, leaving a dazed chunin in her wake.

"I have a meeting with the elders," Miyako put in. She hugged Sayuri tightly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Tell him I said hello."

"I will," Sayuri nodded as Miyako pulled away. She waved shyly to the Sand Siblings before following Ayano.

"Gaara? May I speak with you alone for a moment?" Sayuri asked softly. Everyone looked at her in surprise, Gaara most of all. He nodded slowly and then said "yes" aloud after recalling she was blind. It was easy to forget without her hitai-ate over her eyes, she moved and interacted with the world around her so well.

The two of them moved off down the hallway, well aware that Temari, Kankuro, and Satoru were watching them intently.

"What is it?" Gaara asked.

"I owe you… quite a bit," Sayuri huffed, chuckling weakly as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You helped me get Kimimaro here when I couldn't have done it on my own, and you didn't attack him despite the fact that he was the enemy. He means so much to me, and you helped me get him to safety. For that I owe you… more than I'll probably ever be able to pay back."

Sayuri honestly felt terrible. Gaara had been sent to aid Sasuke's retrieval and not only had he possibly failed his mission because of her, but he'd humored her by seeing Kimimaro when he probably didn't care anything about meeting the man and he had waited with her for news of how he was fairing.

Gaara blinked at Sayuri. She still looked like hell, even more so after messing her hair, but she was looking at him with so much… _thanks._ No one had ever looked at him like that. No one had ever been thankful to him for anything before, they'd only feared him, and she'd never done that.

"I wasn't trying to help you," he replied honestly, feeling she should know that. "I was just doing what I thought was right."

"Well then, what I thought was true," Sayuri nodded decisively. "You are a good man." She rose up on her toes – when had he gotten taller than her? – and kissed his cheek gently in gratitude before dropping back flatfooted. "Thank you," she said, before turning and moving to Satoru's side. They left the hospital together, making her the second member of her team to leave a dazed shinobi behind her.

* * *

"Where the hell is Sayuri?" Kiyomi demanded. "If she doesn't get her ass down here soon Ayano will kill her!"

"No she won't," Miyako disagreed, tossing a hand full of senbon at a human-shaped bundle of straw. "Ayano gave her the morning off."

Kiyomi turned and gaped at her. "_Ayano _gave her time off? _Our teacher_, as in, _Ayano Soma_, gave someone _time off?"_

"Yeah," Miyako nodded, turning to her in confusion. "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?" Kiyomi asked blankly.

Miyako stepped forwards, smiling. "It's amazing! You know about Kimimaro, right?"

The name was vaguely familiar. "He's some guy Sayuri used to know, right?"

"Not just anyone," Miyako disagreed. "He was her first and best friend."

"He died, right?"

"No, apparently not!" Miyako exclaimed, beaming. "Sayuri found him the other night! He's in the hospital now, but he should pull through!"

"Are you serious?" Kiyomi demanded. Miyako's face fell slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Kiyomi said hastily, a smile stretching across her face. "That's great! I can't believe it!"

"It's wonderful, I'm so happy for her," Miyako smiled. "I met him last night."

"You _met him?"_

"Yes, my father mentioned that he was there. I met Ayano and Satoru on the way to the hospital."

"Wow, that's… that's great for her," Kiyomi nodded.

"I know," Miyako smiled, before turning back to her straw dummy.

She didn't notice how Kiyomi's punches and kicks were now much more vicious.


	22. Happiness

**Truth: She had never been happier.**

"You were supposed to clean the kiln this morning!" her father raged as she entered the Arita household. "You have responsibilities, Kiyomi!"

"Not to you," Kiyomi snapped, pushing past him as her mother stood in the background, as always. Outside, thunder rumbled in warning, echoing her mood. The promised rain was close.

She stalked down the hall and had intended to rush past the room they all avoided like the plague, but something stopped her.

She turned and looked at Aika's door, hesitant for a moment.

"I'm not going to be afraid of ghosts," Kiyomi snapped at herself, and jerked the door open, taking a large step inside. She let out a deep breath of air.

Nothing had changed since Aika left. There was her bed, pushed into the left corner, a desk along the same wall at the foot. Her wardrobe was on the opposite wall. The right corner nearest the door was a section for pottery, something Aika had enjoyed far more than Kiyomi ever had. Opposite the door into the room was another door leading out onto the porch. It looked over the garden that was the center of the small Arita compound. Aika never shut the door unless the weather made it a necessity, but now the doors were tightly closed.

Kiyomi hadn't been in here since the morning when she heard her father shout. She'd rushed out of her room and scrambled down the hall only to find her father on his knees in the middle of Aika's room and her mother leaning weakly against the wall, no sign of her sister in sight. The wardrobe doors stood open and empty and the desk was cleared, just as it was now.

Kiyomi shut the door behind her and stepped inside, looking around. She remembered Aika telling her stories while they sat on her bed, Aika guiding her hands over the pottery wheel, sitting down with her at the desk and showing her how to draw… Aika was always the artistic one. Drawing, singing, dancing, poetry… she could do it all. Their mother always called her an old soul, thanks to her lady-like talents and demure manner.

Kiyomi crossed the room and shoved open the door to the porch viciously when it tried to stick. She stepped out and sat on the edge, looking at the cherry tree that dominated the center of the large garden. The Aritas weren't a large family, but they once had been, and their house reflected it. A bit run-down, a bit empty, but still a lot nicer than some other houses.

Kiyomi remembered when she and Aika would play in the garden as children. Her eyes were just beginning to well with tears of remembrance when she schooled herself, letting the familiar anger flood her instead.

Aika had abandoned her. As children Aika was always there for her. Aika did her chores for her when she was sick and ran interference on Kiyomi's fights with her father, which weren't infrequent even back then. Aika taught her to sing, tried to teach her to draw, though she'd never had an aptitude for that. She had loved her older sister more than anything.

Kiyomi's hands tightened into fists and the rage began to spin out of hand and become all-consuming.

It seems like that was how Sayuri felt about Kimimaro, that she loved him more than anything. But did she have to deal with him leaving? No, she didn't. Kiyomi didn't even know if her sister was alive or dead, if she was happy, if she missed her family… People came back from the dead for Sayuri's sake, but she didn't even know what country her sister was in.

She was Sayuri's teammate. Everyone had been at the hospital, had met this Kimimaro guy except her. She hadn't even known he was around until hours later! No one had though to tell her, despite the fact that she was on the same team. Miyako, Ayano, Sayuri… none of them were interested in having her there.

But of course, Ayano and Miyako had all run to Sayuri's aid when Kimimaro appeared. She wondered if they would do the same for her if Aika ever turned up and decided that no, they would not. She'd never been as well-liked as Sayuri was on their team. No one would have dropped everything and sprinted to the hospital to sit with her.

_Sayuri…_ It all came back to her somehow, her and Aika. The sister who abandoned her, the girl who surpassed her. Somehow she always felt that if she could be better than Sayuri at something, just one thing, then everything would be okay. If just once she could be the best, her life would be okay. Maybe her father would see this was what she was meant for. Maybe her sister would hear about her and come back. Maybe her mother would stop drifting through the house like a ghost like she had since Aika left and realize she had another daughter.

Kiyomi had tried not to, she'd tried to be a good teammate, tried not to be repulsed by the Shikotsumyaku, tried not to be petty, but it hadn't worked. She _hated_ Sayuri sometimes. Kiyomi had always been proud that she'd never really hated anyone, but she did Sayuri. There were days when everything about her annoyed her, from the way she spoke, always sure of what she was saying, to the way she walked, deliberately and with purpose, to the way she looked, the hitai-ate hiding her eyes and making her face inscrutable.

Kiyomi didn't realize how vicious the glare on her face was, eyes boring holes into the swaying pink blossoms of the cherry tree. She opened her mouth, recalling a song she'd heard once, and starting singing, hearing her sister's voice sing along with her.

"_Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place, like somehow you just don't belong and no one understands you? Do you ever wanna run away? Do you lock yourself in your room with the radio on turned up so loud that no one hears you're screaming?"_

This was her. Clearly she wasn't that important to her team, or they would have thought to fetch her last night. And wasn't she breaking down right now? Sitting out on the porch and singing furiously at a tree probably wasn't the healthiest of pass times, but she didn't particularly care at the moment.

"_No one ever lied straight to your face and no one ever stabbed you in the back. You might think I'm happy but I'm not gonna be okay. Everybody always gave you what you wanted. You never had to work it was always there."_

That was Sayuri, who'd had everything handed to her on a silver platter. The talent, the friends, the mentor, the doting guardian. People waved to her on the street and she waved back. She stopped and talked to people she knew while no one ever chatted with Kiyomi in the grocery store. And no, despite what everyone seemed to think after the incident that ended with them tied up to poles in the middle of a training field, _she still wasn't okay with it._

"_You don't know what it's like, what it's like to be hurt, to feel lost, to be left out in the dark, to be kicked when you're down, to feel like you've been pushed around, to be on the edge of breaking down and no one's there to save you. No, you don't know what it's like to be hurt, to feel lost, to be left out in the dark, to be kicked when you're down, to feel like you've been pushed around, to be on the edge of breaking down and no one's there to save you. No, you don't know what it's like. Welcome to my life. Welcome to my life. Welcome to my life."_

Kiyomi turned away from the tree furiously.

"I'm acting like some melodramatic character in a book," she sneered at herself. She stood up and headed back into Aika's room, shutting the door behind her. She was just passing the desk when she paused, glancing to the side. A flash of white… There it was. Her eyes landed on the corner of a piece of paper sticking from behind the desk.

It wasn't too surprising. Aika's desk used to be overflowing with paper. Some held doodles and random strings of words. Others were full-fledged pieces of art or neatly-written poems trailing across the paper. It wasn't uncommon for them to spill out of drawers or onto the floor. Aika was usually very clean and neat, but her art tended to get away from her. That's why it was so startling to come in that fateful morning and see the desk clear.

Curiosity got the better of her and Kiyomi walked over, nudging the paper out from the thin gap between the desk and the wall. She knocked some dust on it and examined it, raising her eyebrows in surprise. Three pairs of eyes lined the middle of the page from top to bottom. One was a deep black, the other the blazing red of the Uchiha, three tomoe circling. The third was also red, with a black shape reminding her of a three-pointed shuriken. To the right of the eyes was a mask that looked like it belonged to an ANBU member in the shape of a ferret or something similar. To the right was the leaf of Konoha with a thick, straight line bisecting it.

Sharingan, an ANBU mask, and the Konoha symbol with a line through it? Not exactly Aika's usual artwork. Where had she even seen a sharingan? Granted, she had left a month or two before the massacre, but still. When would she have seen a sharingan, or an ANBU mask for that matter? Aika was a civilian, although she'd known a bit of taijutsu somehow.

Kiyomi shook her head. She _was not_ going to get sucked into Aika's memory. She was sick of the intense emotions it brought up every time she did this to herself. Whatever her sister got involved in during the months leading up to her absence, it wasn't Kiyomi's business. Kiyomi opened a random drawer and shoved the drawing inside, slamming it shut before leaving the room.

Outside, the grey sky opened up and the rain began to pour. Lightning cracked across the sky.

* * *

Sayuri knocked cautiously on the door to Kimimaro's room.

"Enter," called the familiar voice and Sayuri pushed the door open with a foot, stepping inside. Kimimaro's eyes locked on her hands, where she held two cones of some sort, something creamy on top.

"What is that?" he demanded. Sayuri smiled slightly. Her eyes were exposed again today, so the expression covered all of her face.

"One of my favorite foods," Sayuri explained, kicking the door shut behind her. She offered one cone to him. "I'd never had it when I came here, and I didn't know if you had, but… well, I stopped for some ad thought you might want some as well."

Kimimaro raised a hand off the sheets of his bed and took the cone from her, looking at the cool white food. He turned it this way and that, examining it.

"It won't hurt you," Sayuri said, taking a lick of her own ice cream. She sat down in a chair by the edge of his bed. Cautiously, Kimimaro mirrored her, eyes widening slightly at the taste.

"It's… good. What is it?" he asked, taking a small bite this time.

"Ice cream," Sayuri said happily. "Ayano bought me some when I first got here. She was absolutely horrified to find out I'd never tried it before."

They sat quietly for a moment, enjoying their treats, the silence only broken by the crunch of cones every now and then. Finally, when Kimimaro was finished, he spoke again.

"You enjoy it here, don't you?" he asked softly. "With your friends, your teacher, your guardian."

"I do," Sayuri nodded. "It's more than I ever dreamed of having when I left the Kaguya camp. I thought I'd get to a village, do a few odd jobs, make enough money to survive as a vagrant. Maybe if I was lucky I'd get adopted by a nice enough family, or when I was older maybe I'd get a job as a maid or a cook. I never in my wildest dreams thought something like this was possible. They always told me that I couldn't fight because I was a girl."

"I suspect you took great joy in fully and completely proving them wrong," Kimimaro guessed.

Sayuri smiled, baring her teeth in a slightly ominous way. "Oh yes I did. And I proved to everyone here who thought I couldn't amount to anything because I was blind that they were wrong as well."

"Why?"

Sayuri hadn't been expecting that. "What?"

"Why bother?" he clarified. "Why come here at all? Why fight? Why become a kunoichi? Why not simply do what you had always done and serve others?"

Sayuri frowned slightly. "I'm still serving people Kimimaro. I've sworn to keep everyone in the village safe. 'To protect and to aid.' Some of my missions may not be glamorous, like catching missing pets and weeding gardens, but they still help my home."

"So this is your home now?"

"Yes," Sayuri nodded resolutely.

"And yet you promised to leave it for me?"

"I would go anywhere with you," Sayuri swore. "If you leave Konoha, you just have to say the word and I'll go with you." She bit her lip. "That said, I would rather you stayed here. Miyako and Kiyomi, Ayano, Satoru. They could be _your_ friends, _your _teacher, _your _guardian. I wish more than anything that you'll let me share my life with you. I want you to see that there are people who don't just want to use you for your abilities, who won't keep you locked up until it suits them." She bit her bottom lip hesitantly. "As for why I fight… I fight because of _you._"

Kimimaro blinked at that. "What?"

Sayuri flushed slightly. "I remember every time I made a decision, from leaving the Kaguya camp to accepting Satoru's offer to come here, I did it all for you. When I left, I wished you were there with me, that we could have left together. When I decided to become a shinobi of Konoha, I did it because I wanted to make Mist pay for what they did to you – what I thought they did to you," she corrected herself. "I swore I would experience all the things I thought you'd never get to. I took the name Sayuri because lilies are your favorite flowers."

Kimimaro stared at the girl in front of him. She was so changed from the little girl who'd stumbled into his dark cave in too-large clothes, shoulders hunched, cowed. She was older, more confident. She carried herself with dignity and sat with her back straight. Her body was all lithe muscle and she was sure of who she was. She stared at him without shame as she essentially told him that she'd lived her life for him all these years.

"You really aren't Nigate anymore," he mused.

"The last person who called me Nigate I put in the hospital," Sayuri said, and this time her smile was smug. "He was a Hyuga, who said I would never triumph over my disability."

"And I suppose he regretted insulting you," Kimimaro said, almost finding it in himself to chuckle slightly at the pride on her face.

"I'm a Kaguya, after all."

"As am I. The last of our clan."

"And the most powerful," she added. "Maybe if you decide to stay, you can teach me. I don't doubt you're much stronger than me."

"Perhaps," he allowed. "But I have much recovery to do. My illness…" He paused and placed a hand to his chest. "It's strange to be able to breathe easily. Orochimaru was furious when he discovered my disease. I was no longer of any use to him," he recalled mournfully.

"He didn't deserve you," Sayuri said matter-of-factly. Kimimaro shook his head.

"It was I who did not deserve him," he disagreed. "I followed the orders of those who had wronged me. I didn't understand the world around me until he explained it to me. I am a weapon, but a weapon is no good without someone to wield it."

"Do not ever say that!" Sayuri said sharply, grasping his hand in her own and pulling it to her chest earnestly. "You are much more than a weapon! Weapons have no feelings, no likes and dislikes. You like flowers and the smell of wood smoke and you hate plain rice and darkness. You like listening to the sound of rain and you don't like when its humid, because you could barely breathe in the cave the air was so thick. You're loyal and you can be kind. You have an old soul, the kind that likes simple things like being around others. You like to be touched because for so many years no one ever came close to you and… and I hope you like me," she finished weakly.

He looked at her, startled by her insistence as she'd ranted about his likes and dislikes, honestly surprised that she knew so much about him that he'd never even considered. He was even more surprised that she knew why he liked or disliked some things. He supposed over the years he'd forgotten some of how close they used to be.

As he thought he recalled more about her as well. Her favorite color was the green of his eyes, she'd once said, because they were the thing she most wished she could see. She loved the feeling of warmth you got when you stepped out of the shade and into the sun. She also hated plain rice because they had eaten it day in and day out for years. What she loved best was when she was able to sneak some of the smoked meat away from the dinners of the Kaguya men and she would creep into the cave and share it with him, the two starving children whimpering in delight at the taste. She had made up story after story, desperate to keep him entertained.

It actually surprised him to think back and remember how close they used to be. He longed for that again, more than he'd like to admit. It was weak to rely on someone like that but he couldn't deny that he loved the idea of being loved, the one thing he'd been denied the entirety of his life, no matter how hard he tried to please first the Kaguya and then Orochimaru with his abilities. And there was Sayuri, offering it to him simply for existing.

Sayuri dropped his hand. "One of the worst things I could think of," she began, "would be to have you think you were worthless when you're worth everything to me."

Kimimaro cleared his throat awkwardly. He wasn't one for emotional conversations, but she deserved to know… "You mean… a lot to me Ni- Sayuri. You… always have."

Sayuri beamed at him. He'd never seen her smile quite so brightly. She shifted off the chair and sat on the side of his bed, cautiously wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him to her, resting her chin on his shoulder. When he didn't pull away, her muscles loosened.

"You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that," she whispered. Kimimaro wrapped his arms around her as well, delighting in the contact.

"I think I do."

For a while they stayed that way, wrapped up in the presence of an old friend and each delighting in the idea that they meant so much to someone when they had grown up meaning nothing to anyone. Finally they released each other and Sayuri moved back to her chair. She began to tell him everything about her life, her times with Satoru, in the Academy, about Miyako and Kiyomi, Ayano's antics, their first mission, the incident with Yasushi's village, the chunin exams… She had been surprised to learn how close he had been then, but she hadn't sensed him.

He expressed an interest in the scar gained while fighting the raiders and she shucked her shirt to show him, shivering slightly when he touched it. The deadened nerve endings made for an interesting sensation whenever it was touched. They exchanged small touches, holding hands and stroking arms or legs as they spoke. It wasn't sexual, merely a craving for the contact they had been denied by cell bars all those years ago.

Finally conversation waned into companionable silence as they listened to the soothing sound of the rain falling outside. Kimimaro leaned back, resting, and Sayuri stood and moved to the window. She stared sightlessly out into the pouring rain. Something about it made her shudder. The rain felt… angry, sad. It made her feel tiny and hated. She crossed her arms over her chest resolutely and squared her shoulders against it, but still her spine shivered.

"Something wrong?" Kimimaro asked wearily, noticing the tremble.

"Just a bit cold. The rain's chilly."

Sayuri turned back to him and smiled slightly. Instantly she felt warmer as he held out a hand, inviting her back towards his hospital bed. To her surprise, he lifted his sheets and beckoned her to join him. Sayuri slid under the sheets and curled against his side, sighing in delight as he threw an arm around her shoulder and pressed her closer. She'd dreamed of being able to simply be with him for _so long…_

Together, they fell asleep to the sound of the storm.

* * *

Gaara wasn't quite sure why he wanted to speak to Kimimaro. Perhaps it was because a man like him, who'd loyally served Orochimaru and likely done some unspeakable things, could inspire such loyalty from someone like Sayuri. She was civil and nice to everyone, of course, but he wouldn't really consider anyone her friend except Miyako and Kiyomi. Frankly, Gaara was curious as to how he managed.

Gaara himself still struggled at times. The beast in his mind occasionally screamed for blood and he found himself wondering if it would be easier to simply kill anyone annoying him rather than dealing with them politely, how easy it would be to crush them in his sand, bathe the grains in blood…

Gaara shook his head free of such thoughts. He only had a few minutes before he was supposed to meet Kankuro and Temari at the gates of Konoha to head back towards Suna, and the promised rain was falling in torrents. He wasn't looking forwards to the trip back whatsoever.

He paused by the nurse's station and cleared his throat awkwardly. A redhead looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey, I know you! You were that Sand guy at the Hokage's Festival!"

Thinking back, Gaara recalled her face. She was Miyako's relative, the one who was kissing some guy a few blankets away from them to enact some sort of revenge that to this day he didn't fully understand.

"I'm looking for Kimimaro," Gaara requested.

"Down the hall, third door on the left," she said, pointing. Gaara nodded his thanks and started off down the hall. He paused outside the door, hand lingering over the doorknob. Did he really want to do this?

"Come in."

It seemed Kimimaro had sensed him. Gaara pushed the door open and stepped inside. He looked to the hospital bed and his eyes widened slightly at what he found there. Kimimaro was sitting up, head tilted back against the pillows with his eyes closed. Sayuri was curled against his side, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other one tucked under her chin. One of Kimimaro's arms was wrapped around her back, holding her to him.

"You were the one that brought me here," he said, opening his eyes and looking Gaara in the eye fearlessly, something a lot of people in Suna still couldn't do. "Sabaku no Gaara. You are a friend of Sayuri."

"I am," Gaara nodded after a moment of thought on whether that was technically true.

"I will wake her." Kimimaro reached towards her with his free hand, only to be stopped by the handcuffs on his wrist. His lips thinned, but he gave no other outwards signs of annoyance.

"It's necessary," Gaara said in response to his expression.

"Is it?" Kimimaro challenged. "If I wanted to leave, I'd need only to ask Sayuri to free me. She would do anything I ask."

"But you won't do that, will you?" Gaara said, confident in his assessment. No matter what this man had done, he had a soft spot for Sayuri. He would never force her to make that kind of choice, willing as she herself was, even knowing that he would be what she chose.

Kimimaro tilted his head, examining her. "No, I don't suppose I would," he agreed, sounding as if he was just now working it out. "It's strange… When we were children, she wasn't like this."

"In what way?"

"She wasn't this… happy. I had never seen her truly happy until she came in with the rest of you."

Sayuri shifted and let out a small sound. She yawned and tightened her grip around Kimimaro's waist, blinking her eyes open. "Mm, that may be the first time I've ever taken a nap," she said groggily.

Her hair was frizzy and stuck out slightly away from her head on the side she was laying. Her clothes were wrinkled and twisted around her abdomen and her lids hung at half-mast. She gave another little yawn, one hand coming up and covering her mouth, eyes squeezing shut.

Something about the gesture struck Gaara as painfully innocent, almost… adorable.

Sayuri twitched suddenly and turned her face towards Gaara, eyes locking on him unerringly. It was odd to see her sightless jade eyes staring at him, the red markings exposed for once. With the two so close together, the resemblance between them was undeniable. They looked almost uncannily alike. Their coloring, their features, everything.

"Gaara," Sayuri greeted, mildly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

There was no way he was telling her the truth. "I wished to pay my respects before we left. I assumed you would be here."

"Oh, you're leaving?" Sayuri asked, sounding vaguely surprised. "That's a shame; I'd hoped to invite you all for dinner sometime."

"Plain rice?" Kimimaro asked softly. Sayuri shot him an amused expression and trailed her fingers over his shoulder and upper arm in a kind of nonverbal acknowledgement.

"No, of course not," she chuckled, and Gaara got the feeling he was missing a private joke. "Perhaps next time?"

"I don't know when we'll be back," Gaara hedged.

"A standing date," Sayuri insisted. "Next time you're in town, come find me. I like to cook for people, it's no trouble."

"I… Alright," Gaara agreed, nodding. "Goodbye…"

"Goodbye Gaara," she said, favoring him with a polite but genuine smile. "Thank you again for what you did. I meant it when I said I owed you. Anything I can ever help you with, let me know."

Gaara blinked. He'd thought it was just something she said in the heat of the moment. He hadn't realized she was serious. Of course, that also brought up the memory of her kissing his cheek, the feeling of soft, warm lips on his skin. Definitely a first for him. "Ah… Of course." He turned to leave.

She nodded and smiled once more before relaxing against Kimimaro, completely at ease around him despite the fact that he was a criminal. Gaara wondered if he'd ever be that close to someone or if the Shukaku would always keep him separated.

Sayuri stared at the door after he left, eyebrows raised slightly.

"I didn't expect him to say goodbye to me. The only one in Konoha he's really close to is Naruto. Something that happened at the chunin exams," she mused under her breath, and shook her head. "Strange." She leaned on the bed next to Kimimaro, reaching up and grabbing the red tie holding one chunk of his hair. "You wear it traditionally," she accused.

"You don't."

"I'm a Kaguya, but I'm not like those barbarians," Sayuri said, but she sighed. "Perhaps I should though. We are part of a notorious clan, and I should be proud of that, even if the rest of them were frothing maniacs."

Kimimaro's chest shook gently, and she felt more than heard his laugh at that.

"How did they all die?" Sayuri asked curiously. "I never knew. All at once, or did it take a while for them all to die?"

He remained silent for a moment. Usually when Kimimaro thought of his past he went back no further than meeting Orochimaru. Now he cast him mind farther back to the dim memories. "They died as they lived," Kimimaro replied. "Fighting tooth and nail for no other purpose than to fight."

"The deaths they would have wanted, then," Sayuri nodded. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I am so glad you survived," she whispered.

Miyako, Kiyomi, Satoru, Ayano, and now, Kimimaro. The truth was, she had never been happier.


	23. Abandonment

**Truth: He had abandoned her.**

Sayuri was just clearing away the dinner dishes when the knock sounded on the door.

"I've got it," Satoru said, moving away from the sink and heading for the door. He opened it and blinked in shock at who he saw on the stoop. _"Ibiki?"_

"I'm here for Sayuri," the interrogator said bluntly.

"Me?" Sayuri asked in surprise, moving towards the door and wishing she was wearing something more appropriate than the ratty old t-shirt of Satoru's and a pair of too-small shorts that served as her pajamas. "Has something happened?" Her hand grasped the doorframe tightly. "Has something happened with Kimimaro?" she asked worriedly.

"His week of peace is up," Ibiki said callously. "Tsunade wants me to interrogate him. If he talks, we won't have to try the rough stuff to get the information we need. If he doesn't…" He let the threat hang and Sayuri's knuckles went white as her grip tightened. "He'll probably be more cooperative with you there."

Sayuri nodded weakly. Kimimaro's safety hinged on this. If he spoke, he might be freed, maybe even allowed to join Konoha somewhere down the road, due to their desperate need for shinobi. Otherwise… A trip to the headquarters of the Interrogation was basically a sentence to a long and painful death.

"Give me a moment to put on something more appropriate," Sayuri said faintly. She went to her room and quickly stripped, yanking on her civilian clothes as fast as possible, rushing back to the doorway. Ibiki was waiting.

"Sayuri, you don't have to-" Satoru began.

"He needs me," Sayuri said sharply. Satoru closed his mouth abruptly and just nodded.

"Alright."

Sayuri followed Ibiki to the hospital, aware of but too worried to care about the stares she got in the shadow of such a respected and feared man. The path to Kimimaro's room now seemed longer and almost painfully familiar. Ibiki opened the door and stepped inside, moving purposefully towards the bed, towering over its occupant. Sayuri filed in after him, hands wringing like Miyako's, face strained and white. Kimimaro looked from her to Ibiki and he nodded, as if confirming something to himself.

"So it's to be torture," he said aloud. "You will have to try very hard, I have become accustomed to large amounts of pain."

"A little eager, aren't you?" Ibiki pointed out. "Who said anything about torture?"

"You are Ibiki Morino," Kimimaro said bluntly. "That's what you do, is it not?"

"Not always," Ibiki disagreed. "Sometimes people just talk. Sometimes they realize what Konoha can do for them. Sometimes they realize their loyalty was misplaced."

Kimimaro opened his mouth to retort, but it was a reflex by now. He glanced at Sayuri, who looked incredibly concerned for him. He looked back up at Ibiki. "You want to know about Lord Orochimaru." It wasn't a question, nor did Ibiki treat it as such.

"You have two options. Keep quiet, and you're right, it's torture for you," Ibiki said with all the subtlety of Naruto. A strained sound came from the back of Sayuri's throat. Kimimaro's eyes flicked to her. She looked agonized at the very idea of him enduring torture, as if she herself were on the rack. "But if you tell us what we want to know, Tsunade is prepared to offer you asylum from Sound and you'll be allowed to wander around the village under an ANBU guard. If you display good behavior, more freedoms may be discussed at a later date.

"This offer won't last forever," Ibiki continued. "It's the best deal we've offered to a criminal in a while, and that should say something. You could help save innocent lives." He pointed to Sayuri. "You could help save _her_ life."

Sayuri could have snarled. So _this_ was why Ibiki had wanted her along. Not to help him interrogate, or at least, not in the way she'd thought. She was there to be a pawn, Kimimaro's weak spot, to be exploited in order to get what Konoha wanted. Still, she prayed he took Tsunade's deal. The thought of him being tortured was enough to make her physically ill and she wondered vaguely where the nearest trash can was.

Kimimaro looked at the pair across from him. The interrogator, and Sayuri at his side, pleading with him, an impossible decision looming in the air in front of him. If he said nothing, he would die. If he betrayed Lord Orochimaru, he had a life with Nigate… Sayuri in front of him. It was Orochimaru who had picked up the pieces of him after everyone was gone, but Sayuri would have happily done the same had she been there.

The option of running away presented itself, and was almost immediately discarded. What was there to go back to really? Lord Orochimaru now had the coveted Uchiha. Even if Kimimaro returned in full health, he was no longer wanted, and he had only ever been wanted. He served no more purpose to Lord Orochimaru. Here he was needed by someone, by Sayuri, the girl who cared for him when no one else did, even before Lord Orochimaru.

He knew very well that he was a tool to Lord Orochimaru. He was not stupid, he knew it wasn't healthy to be quite so devoted to a man who only cared for him as something to use. He'd simply shoved that aside in a desire to serve the man who so awed him, who had given him purpose.

But did someone like Orochimaru really deserve his loyalty? The life of a shinobi was hard, yes, but he'd been forced to do some hellish things, and hellish things had been done to him, the pain of receiving the curse mark coming to mind. It still burned on his chest as a reminder of what he was potentially giving up. Did a man who would inflict such things on him really deserve such loyalty as Kimimaro gave him?

It wasn't healthy, and though it killed him, he knew it needed to end, or he would end up driving himself mad with obsessive devotion, and if there was one thing Kimimaro prized, it was control over his body and the mind inside it.

Sayuri could give him the purpose he craved as well: discovering what it was here that made her so happy. She had offered her life up to him, her friends, her family; all his if only he would reach out and take it. A life, a real life, the kind they'd dreamed about as children, with all the little things that everyone else would take for granted but seemed like miracles to children like them. The ability to pick what they ate, to go wherever they wanted, to say what they wanted.

To say what they wanted…

He started speaking. At first it was painful, a hollow ache inside his chest as he betrayed what he knew of Lord Orochimaru to Konoha, but it slowly became easier. Then Sayuri smiled at him, and he was confident he'd made the right choice.

* * *

Sayuri sat by Kimimaro's bed the next day when the door opened and in swept the Hokage. She looked between the two teens and nodded, as if confirming something to herself.

"So you cooperated," was all she said. "I guess that means I have my end of the deal to keep." She reached out, healing chakra glowing on her hands, and placed them on Kimimaro's chest over his lungs. She closed her eyes, scanning through his body for prevailing signs of sickness. Kimimaro tensed, only relaxing when Sayuri began to stroke his hair.

"Much better," Tsunade said in satisfaction as she pulled her hands back.

"Kabuto could never make a definitive change," Kimimaro mused. Tsunade made a noise of disdain in the back of her throat.

"_Kabuto Yakushi_ is hardly on my level as a med-nin," she said smugly. "Besides, I had information from Sayuri's file to reference at when it came to your kekkei genkai.

"I think you're fit to leave the hospital, but I want you back every week for a checkup," she added. She pulled a key out of her jacket and grabbed the cuffs holding him to the bed, unlocking them. The chains fell away and Sayuri smiled at the sound. Kimimaro rubbed his slightly chafed wrists and raised the chakra-smothering bracelets to her questioningly.

"Uh uh, those stay," Tsunade said firmly. She placed a hand on one and performed a quick series of hand signs before repeating the process with the other. "You'll have enough chakra to get a bit of a workout, but beyond that, you'll be contained for the moment. Maybe later on we'll talk about lessening the restrictions, and depending on if you're a good boy, removing them entirely." She smirked slightly. "For now, that's all you get."

Kimimaro nodded, pushing a bone from his palm experimentally, pleased that he was at least able to manipulate his skeleton, though with more difficulty than usual. Tsunade's eyes lit with interest, but she said nothing on the subject.

"I'm guessing I can trust him in your custody?" she said to Sayuri, who nodded eagerly. "Good. I want him out of here by the end of the day."

With that Tsunade swept from the room, leaving Sayuri clutching Kimimaro's hand between her own.

"You can come home with me," she beamed. He stared at her, a sort of hesitance on his face, almost as if he couldn't believe that this was really happening to him.

"You don't have to do this," Kimimaro said slowly, offering her a chance to back out. "I don't need to intrude on your life…"

"I want you in my life, you fool," Sayuri said, the sting taken from the insult with a smile. She raised the back of his hand to her cheek, nodding to the neatly-folded clothes on a nearby chair. "If you get dressed, we can go right now and get you settled."

Kimimaro nodded, eager to get upright for the first time in a week. His body rebelled at stagnation and he'd been twitchy for the past four days in the uncomfortable robe they'd put him in. He threw back the sheets and braced his hands on the bed, pushing himself upright with a grunt as stiff muscles stretched. Sayuri sat and smiled as he reached for his clothes, stripping and dressing with not a hint of shame. After all, she couldn't see him, and she was busy rewrapping the carved flowers in silk.

Kimimaro paused when he reached the purple bow, the symbol of Sound. His allegiance no longer lay with them. He had no right to wear it, even if a part of him still desired to. He'd made his bed, and now he had to lie in it, even if a part of him was screaming for betraying Lord Orochimaru. He only had to glance to the side at Sayuri's soft, smiling face to recall why he'd done it.

The purple bow was tossed into the trashcan by the door as they left his hospital room.

The nurses were slightly wary of Kimimaro as he walked through the hall at Sayuri's side, particularly when they glanced down and saw he wasn't chained. Kimimaro, for his part, was glad that his long sleeves hid the cuffs limiting his chakra. This was the only part of his deal that he could really complain about. He didn't like being chained at all, not having easy access to all of his skill, here in the belly of the beast...

"Sayuri!"

"Miyako," Sayuri greeted, turning to face her friend as she emerged from one of the offices. A tall man with long red hair pulled back in a high ponytail emerged behind her, leaning on the doorframe. He had the same black eyes as Miyako. He looked like an average shinobi, but Kimimaro noticed a spot of color on top of his foot.

"Mamoru Hasekura," Sayuri greeted Miyako's father, bowing slightly to the head of the Hasekura clan. Kimimaro followed her lead, bowing slightly as well. Mamoru raised an eyebrow.

"It's nice to see you Sayuri, and I've told you, you don't need to be formal. That young man next to you doesn't need to be either. I'm going to assume that's the Kimimaro this place has been in an uproar over the past few days, and that would make him head of his own clan, as the eldest remaining Kaguya. He is my equal."

Kimimaro blinked in surprise as the man bowed slightly to him in turn. This man was obviously important, as demonstrated by the deference Sayuri showed him, and yet he was bowing to him?

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Kimimaro," Miyako said with a small smile. "I know that Sayuri was very concerned."

"… Thank you," Kimimaro said slowly, surprised by how honest she seemed. She barely knew him, why would she care how he felt?

"What brought you here?" Sayuri asked Miyako.

"I was bringing father lunch," Miyako said, gesturing to the bento balanced on her father's hand. She gave him a reproachful look. "He hasn't been eating enough."

Ever since Miyako's mother died in childbirth she'd been very close to her father, and it showed in the way she doted on him.

"And to try to bargain," Mamoru said, looking at her pointedly.

"Bargain?" Sayuri pressed. Miyako sighed.

"He's trying to get back into field work."

"It's been too long since I was in the field," Mamoru replied to his daughter. "I'm getting soft sitting around the hospital. And besides, with Lady Tsunade and Shizune here, I'm not as necessary to keep the place from bursting into flames."

"I just want you to stay safe," Miyako insisted.

Mamoru stared at his daughter. "I could have sworn I was the parent here."

Miyako smiled slightly. "Only technically."

"Oh, well then." He threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled Miyako into his chest, kissing her forehead. "The clan is meeting tonight, but I'll be home for dinner. Now go, spend time with your friends." He nodded at Sayuri and Kimimaro, the latter of whom was watching the bond in front of him with some degree of awe.

"I will," Miyako nodded, going up on her toes and kissing her father's cheek, squeezing him in a quick hug. "Love you."

"Love you too," Mamoru nodded to her before striding off down the hall, ponytail bobbing and doctor's coat swishing.

"Are you taking Kimimaro home?" Miyako asked curiously. Sayuri nodded. "May I come?"

Sayuri gave her a shrewd look. "You just want to get at the cookies I made last night." Miyako flushed.

"You're a good cook."

"I've had years of practice."

Together the three of them set off through Konoha. Kimimaro got a few odd looks, but once they saw him beside Miyako and Sayuri, he was instantly accepted. Kimimaro was vaguely dizzied by the fact that he was wandering through the village he'd seen as the enemy for years completely unhindered.

"Your father," he said to Miyako. "He leads your clan."

Miyako looked up at him from the other side of Sayuri. He read curiosity and surprise on her face, but no fear. "Yes," Miyako nodded. "One day I'll take his place."

"And… what was on his foot?"

Miyako laughed slightly. "Akaryu. The red dragon, the symbol of our clan. It's tradition for the leader to have it tattooed on them. It covers the entire body." She turned to Sayuri. "Maybe Kimimaro could come with us for training tomorrow and meet Kiyomi?" Miyako suggested. "I'm sure she's anxious to get to know him. She's the only one who hasn't seen him yet."

Sayuri's eyes widened slightly. "I completely forgot Kiyomi hadn't met him yet!"

"Your long-lost relative came back from the dead. I think you're allowed to be a bit scatter-brained," Miyako assured her.

"I would like to meet your other teammate," Kimimaro added his opinion. Sayuri looked up at him.

"Really? To be honest, I wasn't sure if you were interested in meeting any more of my friends."

"I am still adjusting to the idea that you have friends," Kimimaro said, absently reaching out to touch her hair as they walked. Sayuri replied by stepping slightly closer so that their shoulders brushed. Miyako found it entertaining and sweet to watch the two interact. They were clearly going to be inseparable despite the years apart. She could see traces of their childhood in the way they both sought physical contact from each other.

"_Get back!"_

"_Naruto?!" _Miyako exclaimed incredulously as the blonde limped towards them, covered in bandages.

"You bastard!" he shouted hoarsely at Kimimaro, who just blinked in response. "You took Sasuke! _You took him away from us!"_

"_Naruto!"_ Sayuri roared, drawing all eyes to her. She rarely raised her voice, but when she did, it was effective. For the first time, Naruto seemed to realize Sayuri and Miyako were there.

"S-Sayuri? Why're you with this guy? Do you know what he did?" he demanded.

"I do," she nodded. "I know he assisted Sasuke in leaving Konoha. I also know he's given us information on Orochimaru. I know he's been granted asylum, and I know that he is very important to me, and if you attack him, I will not hesitate to gut you like a pig." The last bit was a threatening snarl and Naruto blinked.

"H-He's… on our side now?"

"Yes."

"And you… you're vouching for him?"

"I am." Sayuri nodded. Naruto looked between Sayuri's unflinching face, then Miyako's worried one, and finally to Kimimaro's blank one. He took a couple steps forwards until he was standing in front of Kimimaro. He looked the older boy up and down. Even he was not unobservant enough to miss the obvious resemblance between Kimimaro and Sayuri. He quickly figured out why she was vouching for him.

That didn't change everything though.

"I don't like you, believe it," he concluded. Kimimaro's eyebrow rose ever so slightly.

"The feeling is mutual."

"But if Sayuri says you're okay, then you've gotta be," Naruto finished. "So I'm not gonna pound you. But if you screw up, then I'm gonna take you out, believe it."

"You're welcome to try," Kimimaro said patronizingly. Naruto opened his mouth angrily.

"_Naruto?"_

"Sakura!" he exclaimed, spinning to face his teammate and wincing slightly as he pulled a few of the myriad of stitches covering his body.

"You're not supposed to be out of the hospital!" Sakura berated him. Sakura looked like hell. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was slightly greasy, sticking out in all directions. It wasn't hard to guess what was bothering her. Her heartbroken expression said it all.

"Heh, sorry," Naruto apologized sheepishly. "Just wanted some Ichiraku, you know me!"

"Ramen?" Sakura said incredulously. "Naruto, you're not supposed to be eating stuff like that yet. What were you thinking? I swear, you and Kakashi, never thinking of your own health! One of these days you two are going to get yourselves killed and Sasuke and I w-won't-" She froze, seeming to choke on her own tongue. Her eyes filled with tears and her chin began to tremble. With a small wail Sakura buried her face in her hands and broke down into sobs.

"Sakura," Miyako crooned, stepping forwards and wrapping her arms around the pinkette while Naruto watched helplessly and Sayuri looked on grimly. "Shh, shh, it'll be alright. I know it doesn't seem like that now, but…" She looked around helplessly for something to distract the girl with.

"Would you be utterly and completely offended if I punched Sasuke the next time I saw him?" Sayuri murmured to Naruto, listening to Sakura's sobs.

"Get in line. Kakashi's pissed too."

"He went willingly," Kimimaro said suddenly. Sakura looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"W-Who are you?" she stuttered. "H-How do you know?"

"He used to be one of Orochimaru's goons," Naruto explained.

Sakura paled. "O-Orochimaru? You're one of his?" she hissed. She lunged forwards at Kimimaro, punching at him weakly. "Do you know what he did to Sasuke? Sasuke was fine until that bastard showed up! He was h-happy with us! He was _h-h-happy!"_

"Sakura!" Sayuri exclaimed, grabbing the girl and pulling her away from Kimimaro, who had done nothing but sidestep her attacks.

"Let me _go_ Sayuri!" Sakura shrieked.

"Sakura," Naruto murmured, gaping at his furious teammate and the stoic object of her ire.

"You're making a scene," Sayuri hissed, hearing the whispers around them and sensing people stopping. "He _used_ to be with Orochimaru. Focus Sakura, and take in the details! He's under the protection of Konoha now!"

"B-But why? Why would they set you to guard him?" Sakura asked, confusion taking over rage now.

"I'm not his guard, I'm his friend," Sayuri said shortly. Sakura pulled free and spun, looking between Kimimaro and Sayuri. Before she hadn't noticed, but now the resemblance smacked her in the face. Same sea-green eyes, same red marks, same pale skin, same grey hair. They even dressed similarly and had similar hairstyles.

"You look alike," she said slowly.

"Kimimaro Kaguya," Sayuri said, gesturing to him. "I'd thought him dead before I found him about to fight Gaara and Lee."

"Come on, you should get home," Miyako said, wrapping an arm around Sakura and pulling the distraught girl into her shoulder. "I know it's hard, but you'll be alright. It just may take a while."

"Will I?" Sakura asked mournfully, and Naruto winced, looking away with a pained expression on his face.

Miyako and Sayuri locked eyes and Kimimaro had the oddest sensation that he was being left out of a conversation as the two girls communicated with tilts of their heads and flickers of expressions.

"I'll take you home," Miyako said, pulling Sakura down the street.

"I'll come with," Naruto interjected.

"_You _will go _back_ to the hospital," Miyako said with startling authority, giving him a stern look over Sakura's head. "Before you rip out any stitches, and if you _don't_, I will _personally_ hunt you down and _walk_ you back there like one of Kankuro's puppets."

Naruto gulped. "Yes ma'am." He limped off towards the hospital.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sayuri said to Miyako as she staggered down the sidewalk, half-supporting half-dragging Sakura.

"I do not understand," Kimimaro said slowly.

"What?" Sayuri asked in surprise.

"If the Uchiha had such loyal friends… why did he leave them?"

Sayuri stared at him. "Sometimes power trumps love for some people. Those people are fools," she hissed. "I was never particularly fond of Sasuke, but this… I didn't believe him capable of doing this, and to Naruto and Sakura, the first people he actually spoke to."

They started walking again in silence, Kimimaro's thoughts spinning. In Sakura he saw a flash of how Sayuri must have felt when she believed him dead. Had she sobbed? Had she lashed out? And she'd had no one to cluck their tongue at her soothingly and take her home where she could curl up with her misery and slowly begin to heal. The truth was, he had abandoned her.

"I am so sorry," Kimimaro said, voice slightly choked with emotion as he laced his fingers with hers, hoping she understood and wouldn't make him say anymore. He was no good at expressing himself, he'd never learned how.

Sayuri smiled sadly and squeezed his hand in understanding.

* * *

The next morning Kimimaro woke up to an oddly familiar sight. Sayuri was wearing overlarge clothes, probably clothes taken from Satoru to wear as pajamas, and kneeling by the couch. He had taken the couch after an argument where she offered him her bed and he determinedly refused. In her arms was a tray of breakfast.

"Good morning," she greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

It was so much like back when they were children that for a moment he saw her eight-years-old again, kneeling outside his cell in patched clothes and offering him a scant, bland breakfast. A blink later and he saw her as she was, with a breakfast the kind of which he'd only dreamed of back then, with flavorful and plentiful food.

"Fine," Kimimaro said slowly, sitting upright and reaching for his shirt. Sayuri had taken it to wash last night while he showered and now it was waiting, folded over the arm of the couch.

"We can go shopping to find you some more clothes after training, or you can have Satoru take you," Sayuri said as she placed the breakfast on the coffee table next to the couch. Kimimaro reached for the food as she took his sheets and began folding them deftly. As he ate, she darted around the room, obviously at ease in her home, doing minor tidying.

"You know, you don't have to do that," Satoru grunted, dragging himself from down the hallway, still wearing a pair of pajama pants. "I've told you that."

"If I didn't do it we'd be living in a pig sty," Sayuri said, producing a cup of coffee from seemingly nowhere and placing it on the kitchen table. Satoru sat down and took it greedily.

"Never mind, keep it up," Satoru said with marginally more energy after a few gulps. Sayuri smirked slightly. Kimimaro watched what was clearly a morning routine, feeling very much like an outsider. He and Satoru sat in awkward silence as Sayuri returned to her room to dress for the day. When she returned, she approached him and sat down.

"I'd like to see your training," Kimimaro said. "I've yet to see you fight."

"I'd imagine it won't be that impressive to you," Sayuri admitted, face falling slightly. "You've been spending your time with strong opponents."

"But compared to the girl who knew nothing…," Kimimaro let the sentence hang and was gratified to see her perk up slightly. "I'm finished."

"Let me just wash this, and we can go," Sayuri said, gesturing to the dishes.

"I'll do it," Satoru said, standing up and waving his hands at her. "Go on, out."

"Satoru…"

"Ayano will tie you to a pole again if you're late," Satoru insisted sternly. "Off with you!"


	24. Death

**Truth: I would be far worse if you died now.**

"Kimimaro, this is Kiyomi," Sayuri said, gesturing to the girl who was currently in the middle of a Fireball Jutsu. She shut her mouth and turned, raising an eyebrow at Sayuri.

"Finally got back, huh? How was your vacation?" Kiyomi asked with a crooked grin.

"Nerve-wracking," Sayuri admitted.

"I get that," Kiyomi nodded. "I mean, he _is_ Orochimaru's guy."

"_Kiyomi_!" Miyako hissed, looking scandalized.

"_Was_," Kiyomi corrected, holding up her hands. "I meant _was!_"

"Hey, quit standing around!" Ayano called, clapping her hands as she walked over to the knot of teens. "Welcome back, kid." She ruffled Sayuri's hair. "Now, as a welcome present, I'm giving you ten laps."

"Thank you," Sayuri replied drily, and took off sprinting.

"Miyako, I want you practicing your Summoning," Ayano ordered. "Kiyomi, back with the ninjutsu. You," she pointed to Kimimaro, "with me."

Kimimaro raised an eyebrow. "Tsunade wants an assessment of your abilities," Ayano explained. "She figured I would be the first jonin you ran into so I got the job." She stood in the middle of the training field and gestured for him to come at her. "Bring it, doll face." She grinned widely and sank into a stance.

Slowly, not sure of whether or not this was some sort of trick, Kimimaro raised his right arm. A bone sword slid from his palm. He tossed it into the air and caught it calmly and Ayano's smile widened.

"What, you just a baton twirler?" she taunted.

Kimimaro ran at her, sword diving and slicing in dangerous combinations. If any one of them connected, Ayano would be in trouble. But none of them did. Ayano wasn't a jonin for no reason. She dodged and wove under every single attack, deflecting those she couldn't. Added to that Kimimaro's chakra being limited and there was no doubt of who would win, but that wasn't what this was about.

The whole time they fought, Ayano was making calculations and finding Kimimaro's strengths and weaknesses. The fact that he was fighting as if this was a life or death match despite knowing it wasn't and knowing his loss was inevitable spoke of his pride in abilities, as well as his determination. He demonstrated tremendous taijutsu skills combined with equally impressive speed, agility, and dexterity.

The three genin slowed their work and stopped as Ayano and Kimimaro ranged around the length of the training field. Both of them were suited to close-quarter combat, Kimimaro with his bones and Ayano with her electrified limbs, but both were capable of using projectiles, making the fight that much more tense, and that much more awe-inspiring.

It was a half hour before the fight ended. Ayano sent a lightning-fueled punch straight into Kimimaro's shoulder. A bone membrane under his skin prevented the punch from damaging his muscles, but he still went spinning and crashed to the ground in a heap. He was about to get up and rejoin the fight when Ayano leapt and straddled his back, kunai poised at his throat.

"Checkmate," she grinned triumphantly, despite the fact that she was panting. She swung one leg over his side and pushed herself to her feet. She reached down with one hand for him. Kimimaro looked from it to her suspiciously. Never had he had someone grin at him after a training match he lost. It was always Kabuto's mocking smirk or Orochimaru's disappointed tooth-bearing sneer.

"I'm not gonna bite you, kid," Ayano said, rolling her eyes. She reached down and grabbed his hand, yanking him upright. "You're pretty damn good," she approved. "You could easily make chunin if you wanted to join Konoha, probably jonin."

Sayuri was awed. She'd felt the movements they made, the speed and smoothness of Kimimaro's movements. He twisted and attacked in ways she'd never even dreamed of, wasting no movement. Everything was either an attack or defense, and many times it was both.

Kiyomi had watched the fight eagerly, watched Kimimaro's skin twitch with aftershock from Ayano's lightning. He was strong, no doubt about it, as that punch would have leveled any of them. But he hadn't been able to block it, and that meant something. Bone couldn't defeat lightning.

If she was ever going to beat Sayuri, she needed Ayano's technique.

Ayano glanced to the side at the stunned genin. "Well, why're you all standing around watching? Get to work!" She nodded to Kimimaro. "Go rest in the shade or something, it's time for the ladies to play."

Kimiamro wasn't quite sure how to respond to that last bit, but he did walk over to the tree line and sit down, watching avidly as Kiyomi and Sayuri were called in to take his and Ayano's place in the middle of the training area for a sparring session.

"Alright ladies, taijutsu only, we don't want any accidents," Ayano limited. "I'm gonna work with Miyako on her genjutsu. Hit it!"

Kiyomi took Ayano on her word, swinging a fist towards Sayuri's face as soon as she was given the cue. Sayuri blocked deftly and took that momentum, spinning into a kick. Kiyomi blocked and then they were fighting in earnest, Kiyomi fighting for all she was work as Sayuri knocked aside blow after blow, returning with a few of her own.

Kimimaro watched in approval. She was right in that she wasn't anywhere near a match for him, but she was very good for her age. Her opponent struggled to even get close to her. Sayuri's moves were like his, effortless and smooth, but they weren't quite as deliberate. There was no follow through. She wasn't trying to hurt her opponent, whereas Kiyomi was going all out. He frowned in disapproval. If she didn't try, she would never improve.

"Is that all you can do?" he asked softly, just loud enough to be heard. He knew the effect that would have on Sayuri and sure enough color appeared in her cheeks. Immediately her movements gained purpose. Weaker blows gained strength and half-hearted swipes became debilitating attacks.

Kiyomi let out an annoyed snarl as Sayuri began to go all out at Kimimaro's words. How come Sayuri could hold back and still keep her on edge so easily? It wasn't fair! She worked just as hard these days! Sayuri was even coming off a week's break, a week during which Kiyomi had been training constantly, and she was still miles above her.

_There!_

Kiyomi saw a small opening, only there for an instant, but she took it, sinking her foot into Sayuri's stomach. She went flying and skidded through the dirt. Kimiamro sat up slightly. Kiyomi exalted in her triumph and leapt into the air, aiming her heels for Sayuri's stomach. She jerked around on the ground and braced her hands, leaping to her feet. She spun into a kick, catching Kiyomi across the side as she hit the ground.

Kiyomi yelped in pain and face-planted in the dirt. She hissed in pain and rage as Sayuri's knees landed on her back and her arms were jerked behind her back. Sayuri turned her face towards Kimimaro and he gave an approving nod while Kiyomi silently cursed the pair of them in her head. She'd thought she finally had her!

"Well done Sayuri," Ayano called approvingly. She glanced at Kimimaro. She hadn't failed to realize that it was the moment Kimimaro challenged her that Sayuri started winning. Wheels started turning. "Hey Kimimaro," she called musingly. "I don't suppose you'd like to spar with Sayuri for a bit while I take over with Kiyomi?"

Sayuri inhaled slightly as she got off of Kiyomi, who shoved herself to her feet and stomped over to Ayano. Sayuri and Kimimaro were unevenly matched, that was obvious with every hit she took from him, but he was calling out improvements every time he did. Kiyomi watched them.

Kiyomi would have developed a deep and abiding affection for Kimimaro after watching him beat the crap out of Sayuri, if it weren't for the fact that she was improving with every word he said to her. Yet again, Sayuri was having advantages dropped into her lap while Kiyomi was left getting critiqued by Ayano.

"Focus, Kiyomi!" This was accompanied by a light cuff to her cheek. "Come on, don't daydream!"

Kiyomi grit her teeth and lunged back into her own spar.

* * *

Kimimaro found himself enjoying life in Konoha, no matter how much he'd expected to hate it. The people were so welcoming. If they knew he one worked with Orochimaru, all it took to change their minds about him was for someone to mention he gave them information and changed sides, and they welcomed him with open arms. He started to frequently train with Sayuri's team and was surprised by how quickly they accepted him as a member of the team, all except Kiyomi, who seemed to have a deep and abiding dislike of both him and Sayuri that he wasn't sure the latter picked up on.

However, he didn't train with them every day. It was on one day when he was at the hospital for a checkup that it happened.

Miyako and Sayuri entered the Hasekura compound, laughing over some inconsequential thing, when they both felt the blanket of sadness.

"Miyako."

Miyako turned to the side to see her cousin Akane waiting by the gate to the Hasekura compound for her, eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Akane?" Miyako gasped, rushing to hug her cousin. "What's wrong, what's happened?"

Akane let out a hiccup and patted Miyako's arms gently. She slowly pulled herself from the girls' arms and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"M-Miyako," she began tearfully. "W-We just got the n-news."

"What is it?" Miyako asked, frantic with worry as Akane tried to hedge around the matter at hand. "Akane, what's happened?" Other members of the Hasekura clan began to emerge from their homes, standing on their porches and watching the scene with miserable faces, or blank ones in the cases of the more reserved. Many of them wore mourning black.

"I-It's your f-father," Akane stammered, tears rising and flowing down her cheeks. "H-He… The m-mission he t-t-took. The o-one in L-Lightning. H-He… He didn't make it."

Miyako's mouth opened in silent denial. Tears welled in her eyes. She tugged back away from Akane, who clutched her hands to her chest, tears pouring silently down her cheeks.

"Miyako, I'm sorry," Akane apologized. "We j-just h-heard. W-We were going to wait f-for you t-t-to come home to tell you."

"You're lying," Miyako whispered brokenly. There was no way. Her father's smiling face filled her mind, all the times he'd been there for her, holding her up and calming her down when she worked herself into a nervous wreck. There was no way someone as strong as he was had been killed.

"You're lying!" she screamed in agony. "You're lying, you're lying, you _have_ to be lying!" She lunged at Akane, slapping her across the face. Akane staggered back to lean against the wall but said nothing as she raised a hand to gingerly touch her cheek. "Why would you lie about something like that?"

Miyako moved to go for Akane again but Sayuri caught her and held her back, grabbing her shoulders. Miyako could feel Sayuri shaking behind her, but she barely registered it.

"Miyako," Sayuri whispered mournfully. "She's not lying. It's… It's true." She looked up at Akane almost begging her to deny it, to proclaim the whole thing was a cruel joke, but she just slumped against the wall, holding herself and crying quietly.

"No!" Miyako wailed, the sound piercing the air. Her knees dropped out from under her and she hit the dirt, holding her sides as if trying to keep herself from falling apart. "Not father, not father!" she whimpered as she rocked back and forth like a child. Sayuri sank down beside her, holding her shoulders tightly.

"Shh, shh," Sayuri whispered around her own tears. She hadn't known Mamoru Hasekura well, but she liked him, and she knew very well how painful his death was for Miyako. Her friend continued to rock and murmur words of denial. Miyako leaned forwards so far that her forehead touched the ground and let out a wordless scream of grief.

Sayuri felt people shift around them. The Hasekura clan had emerged from their homes, stepped off their porches, and were coming towards them. Sayuri watched in awe as every single one of the Hasekuras, no matter how young or old, came out and gathered around the pair. Miyako was oblivious, still screaming her grief to the sky.

Akane moved through the crowd and knelt at Miyako's other side, wrapping her arms around the girl too, joining Sayuri's soothing clucks and whispers with her own. One by one the other Hasekuras came forwards and knelt around the girls, placing their hands on or wrapping their arms around anyone they could reach. Around their own tears they murmured soothing things to each other and tried very hard to keep it together. Sayuri sat in the middle of all this in awe.

Over it all rose Miyako's screams and sobs, echoing through the compound.

* * *

There would be no funeral, or not a real one anyway. When a shinobi died their bodies were destroyed in a way to prevent the enemy from discovering secrets about a village's techniques. There was nothing to bury.

Two days later, a service was held. People came and laid flowers by a picture of Mamoru's smiling face.

Sayuri sat by her friend the entire time, with Ayano, Kiyomi, and Akane as backup. Miyako was a shell of herself. Sayuri had to dress Miyako and fix her hair for her. She just sat there and stared straight ahead like a shell, tears occasionally rising up and rolling down her cheeks. There was no telling what she was thinking of at any given moment.

During the service, she sat silently as people expounded on the myriad ways that her father had helped Konoha and the clan. She didn't nod or even smile as a few people recounted funny stories of Mamoru in his youth. She just stared at her father's picture with tears streaming down her cheeks.

She sat there even after the service ended, not moving as people came up to express their condolence. Like a statue, Miyako held her position and said nothing, didn't make any move of acknowledgement. Those who had come only for form's sake walked away mumbling about how rude the new heir was. Those who truly cared just walked away shaking their heads in pity for her. With every one, Miyako's tears fell thicker and faster, but she said nothing. Eventually, Sayuri and Akane's glares at anyone who came close warded off the well-wishers that seemed to do more harm than good.

When the last of the guests was gone, Akane turned to Sayuri, Kiyomi, and Ayano.

"You need to leave now," she said softly. "The last head has been laid to rest and the new one needs to be prepared. Invitations have been sent. She'll be formally introduced as head of the Hasekura clan in two days time."

"For god's sake, give her time to grieve!" Sayuri hissed, wary of further upsetting Miyako, but she wasn't even sure if the girl could hear her. "Her father just died!"

"I wish we could," Akane whispered, shaking her head helplessly. Sayuri winced, realizing that traditions had to be upheld. Miyako would be given four days to grieve, but the world had to move on. The Hasekuras had to solidify themselves. They needed a new head, and fast. They were nowhere near the size of the Hyugas, or the size the Uchihas had been, but they were larger than clans like the Inuzukas and the Aburames. There were enough people that to leave this unattended could result in factions springing up, perhaps saying one so young couldn't lead.

"I see," Sayuri said, suddenly glad that her clan had never been one for things like this. If anyone died they were immediately cursed as weak and life moved on. There were no attachments, no pain if someone died.

She glanced to the side, where Kimimaro waited silently for her.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

"If she needs you, I'll send a message," Akane assured Miyako's worried teammates. "For now though, you can't be here. This is clan business."

"Of course," Ayano nodded, placing her hands on Kiyomi and Sayuri's shoulders and guiding them away towards the door.

"Poor Miyako," Kiyomi muttered as they were marched away. "I can't imagine that kind of pain."

"What if your father died?" Sayuri asked, confused. "Surely you'd be hurt?"

Kiyomi laughed bitterly. "That's a nice sentiment, but not hardly. I'd probably throw a party."

"Kiyomi," Ayano breathed, startled by the controlled rage in that statement. Kiyomi tugged her shoulder from Ayano's grip.

"See you at Miyako's ceremony," she said shortly, and turned to head home. Ayano and Sayuri stared after her wordlessly.

"You know, sometimes I really do worry about that girl," Ayano murmured.

"I always have," Sayuri said as she turned to Kimimaro. He hadn't attended the ceremony. She'd asked him to come, but he said he wasn't upset by the man's death. He barely knew him. He considered it rude to go when he wasn't grieving. Sayuri had submitted, allowing that that made a weird kind of sense, and had gone alone.

Kimimaro looked at Miyako, who was slowly being guided up from her chair and towards her home by a stressed and grieving Akane.

"Were you like that, when you thought I'd died?" he asked softly as they turned to walk back to Satoru's apartment.

"For about a day," Sayuri admitted. "I suppose that was because I didn't really understand the death of a loved one. The death of a Kaguya was always announced in the midst of celebration of a battle, and I didn't really care about them anyway. I suppose I didn't fully understand the weight of it until I came here and gained more experience about what it meant to care for someone."

"And now?" he pressed, curious as to how she felt her time in Konoha had changed her.

"Now…" She paused. "Truthfully, I believe I would be far worse if you died now," Sayuri whispered.

* * *

The ascension of a new clan leader was a big deal in Konoha. Hundreds of people showed up, from jonin and ANBU, other clan heads, and the Hokage herself, as she had a vested interest in making sure her clans were not fighting amongst each other.

The gates of the Hasekura compound were thrown open and people filed in, dressed in their nicest clothes. Young children, those too young to be as deeply affected by Mamoru's death as the elder members, were stationed around the compound to guide people towards the staircase descending into the earth at the back of the compound.

In the beginning, a few were hesitant to descend into the cavern below, even though the way was well-lit and voices could be beard from below. Those who had been there before walked down fearlessly, and other began to follow their lead. The room they were guided into could have held half of the shinobi in Konoha, and it was meant to, in all honestly. The arrival of a new clan head was a fairly big deal.

"Your seat will be at the front, sir," one of the young Hasekuras instructed the noble in front of him. They were all dressed in identical black robes with red dragons emblazoned over the left breast. Hiashi Hyuga nodded and moved further into the room, Hinata and Neji on his heels.

The room was spectacular. Being built underground it was lit entirely by candles which provided a flickering ambiance to the gathering. A few people milled around, but most were in their seats. At the front of the room, a stoic trio of Hasekura elders stood in front of a snarling dragon statue carved from red jasper, the candlelight making the individual scales gleam dangerously. It was elevated on a dais in front of two lines of blood red pillows where the entirety of the Hasekura family kneeled stoically.

More pillows were laid out on the main portion of the floor, fitting neatly into niches in the ground so that they were in perfectly straight rows. At the back of the room were plain mats, but they gradually became richer the father forwards one went. The front row held pillows with clan symbols embroidered on them for the heads of other clans to sit. Behind them would be their family, behind that personal friends and then random shinobi.

"Are they trying to insult us?" Neji asked when he saw that the Hyuga clan's pillow was on the very end of the left side.

Hiashi seemed vaguely amused by that. "Not at all. In fact, the Hasekura family is known for trying to avoid offending people. The Hokage is seated in the center," he said, nodding to Tsuande, who was sprawled on her pillow with Shizune kneeling behind her docilely. "The places of the clan leaders are rotated every meeting to avoid showing favor to any one group. If I recall, the last time the Hyugas were seated directly to the right of the Hokage."

"W-Why are th-they known for t-trying n-not to b-b-be of-offensive?" Hinata stammered, fidgeting slightly in her formal clothes.

"The Hasekuras have always been primarily healers because of the advantages of their kekkei genkai," Hiashi explained. He'd been trained in the politics of many of the other major clans in Konoha as a child, and that included the Hasekuras. He had no problem enlightening his daughter and nephew. "Because of their dedication to the preservation of life, they've often been called in as mediators. In fact, it was the Hasekura family that mediated the meeting between the Uchiha and Senju that ended with the forming of Konoha."

"Really?" Neji asked, surprised. He'd never really heard much of the Hasekura clan, let alone that they'd done something so major.

"Yes," Hiashi nodded. "They and the Hyuga were some of the first clans to join Konoha."

"Why aren't th-they m-m-more well-known?" Hinata asked.

"Because they've always preferred not to be," Hiashi said with a shrug. "I didn't even realize there were this many of them left. They stay mostly out of the public eye. Of course, perhaps because of this preference to remaining out of the limelight a number of legends and stories have sprung up about them."

"Like what?"

Neji glanced to the side as Sayuri seated herself beside him, dropping onto a pillow with a pair of crossed femurs embroidered on it. Kimimaro sat in front of her, next to Hiashi, the same symbol embroidered on the back of his robe.

"Who are you?" Hiashi asked Kimimaro. "I don't recognize the symbol of your clan."

"I am Kimimaro, of the Kaguya clan," he introduced himself.

"Up until two days ago, the Kaguya didn't have a symbol. That would have meant taking time away from killing to figure one out," she said with a vicious smile. "Kimimaro and I had to make one up." She nodded to the two genin. "Hinata, Neji, nice to see you."

"Nice to s-s-see you t-too," Hinata nodded. "Uhm… how is M-Miyako?"

Sayuri sighed and Kimimaro glanced back at her. Neji was surprised to see the stoic man reach back and offer his hand to her. She took it with a small smile.

"She's… doing as well as can be expected," Sayuri finally said, not really sure how else to phrase it. "She misses her father, she's scared of becoming head, she's worried about training, she's sore from the tattooing-"

"Ah, the tattooing," Hiashi nodded. "I'd forgotten that little custom of theirs."

"Tattoo?" Neji asked in surprise. He found it hard to imagine demure little Miyako getting a tattoo of any kind.

"It's the Hasekura's custom for their leaders to bear a tattoo of their clan's guardian," Sayuri said, nodding in the direction of the dragon statue. "It goes all the way across the back and down the right leg. It takes most of a full day."

"Oh my," Hinata whispered. "That sounds… very…."

"Painful," Sayuri nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats," one of the elders suddenly announced. "The ceremony is about to begin."

Clan members found their seats and those that didn't have assigned seats scrambled in the back for a moment before finding a place to sit. Not a moment too soon, for the next second Miyako started descending the stairs.

Sayuri heard gasps all around and wished desperately that she were able to see her friend, but she couldn't, could only feel the excitement in the room rolling off of people in droves.

Neji, meanwhile, could see. Miyako had never looked better. Her brilliant red hair was combed until it shone and pulled back in an elaborate hairstyle, gold pins holding it in place and dangling behind her. She wore a robe of black silk. A red dragon was embroidered on it, the head resting just under her left shoulder and the body trailing down over her right hip and down her leg, just like the tattoo now resting under it.

Miyako drifted forwards elegantly. Her face was made up immaculately, but the skin under her eyes was still puffy from crying and she moved stiffly thanks to the pain from the recent full-body tattoo. Everyone watched as she came down the stairs and walked towards the raised dais, looking neither left nor right.

She knelt before the three elders, one a hunched old woman, the other a tall man, and the third a man with a long braided beard.

"Miyako Hasekura," the woman began. "We are the Council of the Hasekura Clan, and as is tradition, we will each ask you a question to determine your worthiness to lead us. Do you understand?"

"I do," Miyako murmured, head dipped.

"I will begin," the tall man said. He began to recite; clearly the questions asked were tradition as well. "Do you swear to uphold the values of the Hasekura clan?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to uphold the ancient contracts?" asked the bearded man.

"I do."

"Do you swear to bring honor to the clan and lead fairly?" the woman questioned.

"I do."

The statue behind the elders suddenly threw back its head with a great creaking of stone and roared. Miyako gasped and she wasn't the only one. Around the room, several people gasped or leapt backwards. The elders seemed remarkably unconcerned.

"Then with the approval of Akaryu, I present Miyako Hasekura, leader of the Hasekura clan." The older woman held out her hands. "Rise child."

Miyako delicately took the woman's hands and rose off the ground. She turned in a flare of black silk and faced the crowd, face carefully blank. A polite round of applause echoed through the chamber, hesitant after the statue moved, but it was now back in its previous position and looked as unmoving as ever.

"Quiet!" the woman thundered with surprising volume for her old age. In the front row, Tsunade could be seen rubbing her head and wincing, doubtlessly suffering a hangover. "There is one last thing."

Behind her, the two men stepped to the side, revealing a red bottle resting in a niche in the dragon statue's chest. The woman turned and pulled the bottle out. It sloshed slightly and the crowd realized the bottle itself wasn't red, its contents were. And the Hasekura clan was very famously associated with a certain red liquid…

"Tell me that's not-" Hinata whimpered.

"Barbaric custom," Hiashi said, mouth twisting in distaste as he confirmed Hinata's fears. His daughter went a bit green and Neji's jaw tightened.

"It's just punch or something, r-right?" Neji hissed to the woman beside him.

"If only," Sayuri said, sightless eyes fixed on Miyako with eerie intensity.

"Akaryu trusted the Hasekua clan with a sacred duty. Do you understand this duty?" the old woman asked, proffering the bottle.

"I do," Miyako nodded, but even she looked slightly hesitant now.

"Then, as you swore to uphold the ancient contracts, it is now your duty to drink," the woman said, lifting the bottle towards her. Miyako took it and then flicked the top off, hesitantly raising it to her lips. The old woman raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak. Miyako hastily tilted the bottle back and took a gulp. She closed the bottle and hastily thrust it back to the older woman.

That was when the liquid hit her stomach and she gasped slightly, doubling over and pressing a hand to her chest. The bottle slipped from her grasp and the bearded man stepped up and caught it with surprising deftness for his old age. Chakra surged, and everyone felt it as he replaced the bottle, heedless of the drama. The Hyugas got the best view, with hastily-activated byakugans seeing Miyako's chakra network. A new line of chakra points trailed across her body under the outline of the dragon on her back, and a small ball of chakra nested just under her chakra source.

"What is that?" Neji whispered.

"I don't know," Hiashi said grimly, his byakugan fading. Hinata and Neji followed his cue. He looked at Sayuri. "Do you what that was about?"

"I-I…" Sayuri shook her head. "I have no idea."

* * *

**I HATED writing this chapter. But I had this planned for a while, ever since I realized Miyako was getting off rather lightly in this story compared to Kiyomi and Sayuri. I cried while I was writing her breakdown though. And yes, there is a point to Miyako becoming leader of her clan, but it won't really come around for a while. And to the people who've been asking... NO I will NOT be pairing Sayuri with Kimimaro. They have a brother/sister kind of thing going on, not a romantic one. These are the pairings as I have planned for the girls, although Kiyomi's is subject to change. SayuriXGaara, or Gaari as they've been christened. MiyakoXNeji, or Miji. And finally, KiyomiXSasuke, or Sasomi. Thanks to my friend who came up with the ship names!**


	25. Concern

**Truth: They were all concerned for Miyako.**

The month after Mamoru died was rough on all of Team 9. They watched Miyako grieve and felt her pain, and no matter what they did, they couldn't perk her up, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Sayuri delivered large amounts of Miyako's favorite foods to the Hasekura compound, Kiyomi sang to her, and Ayano gave her jutsu after jutsu to work on to try and distract herself. In the end, with Ayano at the end of her rope, she pulled out her distraction trump card: a C-rank mission.

"You sure you'll be alright without me?"

"I'm not an infant," Kimimaro said pointedly. Sayuri sighed.

"I know, but I just got you back, and I don't like leaving you. I'll miss you."

Kimimaro still wasn't used to these moments of emotion between Sayuri and himself, not to say he didn't appreciate her ability to open up to him, and he to her, but they always made him unsure. "I will… miss you as well."

"I'll see you when I get back," Sayuri said, hugging him tightly before turning to the door. She stepped outside and took off running towards the gate where she was to meet the rest of her team.

"Cutting it close, aren't we?" Kiyomi asked pointedly, gesturing to the sun rising higher in the sky. "We were supposed to be here at sunup."

"I had to make breakfast for Satoru and Kimimaro," Sayuri explained.

"Hey, they can cook for themselves, they're big boys," Ayano pointed out. "When I say I want you here at a certain time, I mean it."

Sayuri hung her head. "Yes, Ayano."

Kiyomi smiled slightly. "So, what's the mission?" she asked.

"Recovery," Ayano explained. "There's a valuable vase two parties in a clan are fighting over in Lightning. One of them hired us to steal it in transit."

"That sounds vaguely like a B-rank," Miyako pointed out, a trace of her old hesitance emerging from the grief.

"There's only mercenary guards, no shinobi," Ayano explained. Miyako nodded wordlessly and turned to look down the road out of the village. Kiyomi and Sayuri exchanged nervous glances, for once united in worry over Miyako. Ayano looked at them and shook her head sharply, advising them against saying something. Truthfully, they were all concerned for Miyako.

"Well, off we go, girlies!" Ayano announced, trouping off out of the gate.

The group walked in silence. Miyako's despair was palpable and greatly reduced the usually-jovial mood among the team.

"Where are we finding this caravan?" Kiyomi finally asked.

"The plan," Ayano began, "is to sneak into the camp during the night and steal the vase. Should we be spotted, we don't have any choice but to start swinging. If they're alerted to the fact that we're coming, there won't be a second chance to catch them with their guard down."

* * *

Four people were gathered around a campfire. They all wore the hitai-ate of Kumogakure. They had been sent out to retrieve a vase from a caravan. They'd picked a favorable position along the road and now, having set up camp, they were now waiting for their chance to strike.

The sound of squealing echoed around the camp. A rabbit was pinned to the ground by a senbon thrust through each of its legs. It screamed and writhed as a kunai carefully carved into it, staining the fur with blood. A boy hovered over it, kunai in hand. Green eyes glinted with sadistic pleasure from under the shade of a woven bamboo hat. He was tall, dressed traditionally in a brown haori over a black mesh shirt, black pants, and traditional shinobi sandals. The metal plate proclaiming him to be from Kumo was attached to his hat.

He was watched by a painfully skinny girl whose white hair, pale skin, and pink eyes showed her to be albino. Her face was slightly green and she was folding further and further into her white furisode, fingers fiddling anxiously with the hitai-ate that hung from a loop, trying to block out the rabbit's screams.

"Atumotu," she asked softly. "I think that… Maybe… Uhm… Could you stop, please?"

"Uta Maboroshi," Atumotu sneered, looking up from under his hat at her. He fingered the handle of one of his two katana. "Wimpiest shinobi in the world."

Uta winced and crossed her arms over her stomach protectively. "I just think… well it's making a lot of noise… you might… give away… our position."

"Leave him alone, Uta."

Uta flinched and glanced at the boy leaning against a tree, staring blankly into the distance. He turned to look at her with burning orange eyes, long red hair swinging around his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow questioningly as she continued to stare. Uta hastily stared at her feet, toes wiggling in her straw geta.

"Yes Ganshuyo," she whispered.

Ganshuyo was shirtless and shoeless, clad only in a pair of black pants, his hitai-ate worn tight around his throat. Muscles rippled across his chest whenever he moved and the chain attached to his chakrum rattled ominously.

"Cool it, the lot of you."

The three genin in the camp went still as their teacher spoke. Unari Kotetsu was a member of the esteemed Kotetsu clan and possessed their Steel Release. It was reflected in her attire. She wore a long, chainmail coat, ripped from left shoulder to right waist, revealing her right arm, and a red vest. Her black pants were tucked into metal boots, and odd choice for a shinobi, and her hitai-ate was worn as a belt.

Unari unfolded from where she'd been lounging by the fire and stared around with imperious amber eyes, black hair swinging around her chin.

"Atumotu Osoroshi." She pinned the student by the rabbit with her gaze. "Let the damn thing go. Its screams are giving me a headache."

Atumotu mumbled curses under its breath, but reached down and pulled the senbon from the rabbit. It turned over and limped pathetically towards the trees. A kunai slammed through its head a moment later. Unari rolled her eyes at the antics of her student.

"Dinner's served," Atumotu sneered, rising to retrieve the weapon and the attached rabbit.

"Fear makes the meat tough, leave it," Ganshuyo said carelessly.

"Ganshuyo Kisaragi," Unari said, now looking at the redhead. He unfolded his arms and straightened up, facing his teacher. "Quit playing peacemaker, that's my job. Can't have you upstaging me, can I?" she challenged.

The skin around Ganshuyo's eyes tightened. "Yes ma'am."

"And Uta…"

Uta shuddered as her teacher finally got to her. "Y-Y-Yes?"

Unari leaned forwards and spoke patronizingly slowly. "I know it's hard for you, but if you could try not to be a spineless sap, that'd be great."

"… Yes ma'am."

"Good." Unari stretched back out by the fire, looking for all the world like a content cat. "Now you all know what the mission is."

"Get the vase, get out," Ganshuyo nodded solemnly.

"Tear into anyone who tries to stop us," Atumotu smiled happily, stroking the hilt of one katana lovingly.

Unari snorted. "Much as I know you'd love that, ya little psycho, let's try and keep the tearing to a minimum. Let's not rack up a body count on this one, okay children?"

"Aww," Atumotu whined, leaning back on his hands and stretching out his legs. "That takes all the fun out of it!"

"I didn't think it was very fun to begin with," Uta murmured softly, but Atumotu heard.

"That's because you're soft," he scoffed. "You're barely worthy of the title of kunoichi."

"Don't start," Unari snapped at him. "It'll be a long night and I want to get some shut eye before then. If I have to wake up and stop you from killing something, Atumotu, I'm gonna be pissed."

* * *

Night had fallen and the caravan of guards had made camp in a large clearing. They were circled around a large central campfire, wagons around them. The wagons bearing nothing but supplies were left loaded, but those bearing valuable merchandise, like the coveted vase, were pulled in amongst the scattered half-dozen tents.

"Well done Sayuri," Ayano nodded in approval. "That herb you slipped into their food did wonders."

"Thank you," Sayuri nodded, staring at the camp full of dozing men.

"What was it, by the way?" Ayano asked.

"A type of dogwood," Sayuri explained.

"Huh. That'll make this a lot easier. Still, we can't be sure it'll hold them for long. Get in, get out. Miyako, you watch the perimeter on one side, Kiyomi on the other. Sayuri will take the trees. I'll go in and get the vase. Everybody ready?"

"Uh huh."

"Ready."

"Let's go."

"Then get to your places."

The four shot off in different directions. Kiyomi went around one side of the camp, Miyako heading the other direction. Sayuri headed into the trees to get an overview of all of the camp. Ayano headed straight in for the chest they knew held the vase.

Miyako turned around sharply at the sound of a twig breaking. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw swinging white hair vanish around a tree. She scampered closer and peered around the side of the trunk.

"Kiyomi? Why are you-"

Miyako's eyes widened at the sight of an albino girl instead. The girl looked at her with terror-stricken eyes. Miyako reacted and lunged at the albino girl. The world suddenly twisted around her, trees bending wildly.

"Release!" Miyako snapped, annoyed by the minor illusion. She broke through it easily and met the girl's swinging kunai. Miyako shoved her away and got some distance, hurling some senbon. The girl made a few signs and the air around her seemed to shudder, the senbon flying off in random directions. Miyako went flying in and their kunai clashed, arms and legs connecting. Throughout it all, the girl never lost her terrified expression.

Ayano looked up sharply at the sound of kunai clashing and turned in the direction of the squabble.

"Miyako…?"

"Well well, if it ain't Konoha's famous Lightning Bolt, Ayano Soma."

Ayano smirked slightly and turned in the direction of the speaker. A woman in chainmail leaned against one of the wagons. "And you look a hell of a lot like Unari Kotetsu."

"For good reason," the woman nodded indulgently. "That's who I am."

"And yet you're giving me warning you're coming?" Ayano asked. "That's not very smart."

"I'm pretty confident I can take you down," Unari shrugged, shoving off the wagon. "And you'll be a nice little feather in my hat."

"Oho," Ayano smirked. "You're confident."

"Again, for good reason." Unari mimicked her smirk. "What's say we let our kids duke it out while we settle this like ladies? Winner take all."

"You'd better hope your kids are good," Ayano said, sliding into a stance.

Unari laughed darkly. "I feel sorry for whichever one of them ends up with Atumotu. That kid's a real psycho."

Up in the trees, Sayuri's head turned in the direction of Miyako's fight.

"Miyako," she murmured worriedly, and started off around the edge of the clearing, keeping to the trees, intent on aiding her friend.

A kunai whizzed in front of her and Sayuri leapt backwards to the ground, standing up straight. She could sense a chakra signature lingering behind her in the direction the kunai had come from. Bones began to ease out of her palms.

"You can't hide from me. Come out."

The chakra signature came forwards.

"Well well, so you knew where I was. Am I supposed to be impressed?" a male voice taunted.

"No," Sayuri disagreed, shaking her head and rotating to face him. "Where are you from?"

The boy snorted. "It's a little obvious."

"I'm blind. Humor me."

"Blind?" he asked, voice excited. "I've never fought a blind girl before. I wonder if you'll yelp when I cut you? After all, you can't see me coming, can you?"

Sayuri shuddered at the bloodlust in his voice. It reminded her of the Kaguya working themselves up before going off to battle.

"We shall see," she said as he came at her. Bone swords slid into her palms and she blocked both of his hands, hearing the ring of metal. One sword trailed along the length of the weapon, testing the length. Dual katana, she decided, as she pushed away from him. They came back together in a clash, weapons blurring.

Kiyomi could feel three fights going and wasn't sure which direction to go. Sayuri would be fine, and so would Ayano, so she planned to go to Miyako.

She paused as she heard a rustle in the brush. Glancing to the side, she saw red hair peering over the top of a bush.

"Miyako? What the he-"

A huge man rose out of the bushes, orange eyes glowing as she stared at her. In his hand was an odd weapon. It had the handle of a dagger, but from the hilt came a chain that connected to a chakram.

"Not… Miyako..." Kiyomi's eyes bulged. "Whoa. You're big." She smiled. "Fought bigger." She settled back into a stance. "Come on, big boy, bring it!"

The man leapt over the bush with surprising lightness for his size and brought and arm back, slashing it forwards, razor-sharp disk whizzing towards her. Kiyomi parried it with a kunai and started forwards. He was a medium-range fighter, so if she could get in close she had a shot.

Miyako's opponent fought bravely, but in the end it came down to the terrain. The girl's foot slipped at the edge of a gopher hole and she went down. Miyako stomped on her wrist, knocking her kunai away and collapsed on the girl's stomach, pinning her down with a kunai raised.

"P-Please!"

Miyako paused and stared down at the girl under her. Her white hair was splayed around her and she was sobbing, tears running down her cheeks. Miyako blinked. This was new. She'd never had opponents cry.

"They make me," she sobbed. "I don't want to hurt people but they make me, Unari and Atumotu. Please don't kill me. I-I don't want to die!"

Normally Miyako would have just knocked the girl out and gone on with her life. But now she was thinking differently. Was that how it had happened with her father? Had someone they thought was down come up from behind and killed him? No, she couldn't knock the girl out.

But she also couldn't kill her. Miyako didn't have the heart for that, not with the girl looking so pathetic. She was fairly sure it wasn't an act. The girl looked truly beside herself with fear and she'd looked scared from the moment the fight started. And, throughout that whole time, she hadn't ever gone for the kill.

"Do you surrender?" Miyako demanded, going for the only other option. The girl opened and closed her mouth, gasping like a fish as she debated. Miyako shook her roughly. _"Do you?"_

"Yes, yes!" the girl squealed fearfully. "Please, I surrender, don't kill me!"

Miyako seized the girl by the shoulder and slammed her into a tree. She ripped off her kunai holster and hip pouch and tossed them into the bushes. Miyako reached into her own pouch and pulled out a thin wire, trussing up the girls ankles and wrists deftly.

"Squirm and the wire will cut into you," Miyako said shortly. The shy girl was gone in the heat of battle, and now she was finally able to work out some of her grief. The albino nodded frantically, big-eyed, and Miyako shot off towards Ayano.

Sayuri and her opponent danced and twirled among the trees, weapons clashing, sword on bone.

"You're good," the boy praised. "I'm going to enjoy your blood. I'm starting to want it very badly."

Sayuri scowled. "It says something that you're not the first man to tell me that."

"Oh really? Well I'm not surprised. I've always been fond of blood, and I really think I'll enjoy yours."

Sayuri shouted in dismay as her swords were tangled with his. His knee came towards her side. A bone shot from her knee, piercing his thigh. He shouted in pain as he connected. Sayuri quickly retracted the bone as she went flying, not having any desire to drag this freak along after her.

"What did you do?" he demanded. "What did you do? I saw your hands, there wasn't anything else you could have… Ah, forget it!"

Sayuri's ribs were throbbing but she kept pace with him as he came at her again. But then he moved faster than he'd moved thus far and connected a hard hit to her nose. Sayuri blinked and staggered back as her eyes filled with tears. While it wasn't a problem it did distract her. She blinked, frantically healing her nose and trying to regain her balance. His foot planted in her stomach and Sayuri slammed back into a tree.

He was coming at her again and Sayuri ducked under his foot, dropping and kicking out his leg. He fell, aiming his elbow for her side. His elbow connected with a rib as strong as steel and it didn't break, but he still hit bruised flesh. Sayuri cried out in pain, clutching her side and scrambling towards her feet. He scored a long line along her calf, prevented from going too deep by a layer of bone under the skin.

Sayuri got herself onto one knee before he lunged at her, bearing her to the ground. He flipped her sharply and Sayuri screamed in pain as a sword buried deeply into each of her palms, sliding right between the bones. Ribs erupted from her chest in defense as the boy straddled her hips. He leapt back.

"Bone…" he whispered delightedly. "It's bone! Oh, that's _fascinating!"_

"One down," Ayano and Unari chorused, separating for a moment before throwing themselves back into the fray.

Kiyomi was panting. She'd thought it would be easy to get at the muscle-bound redhead as soon as she got close enough, but that was presenting a bit of a problem. He was impossible to get close to. She dodged and weaved and twisted and pulled out all the stops but she'd yet to get within arm's reach of him. She longed to use a fire jutsu, but that wasn't a good idea, surrounded by dry brush as they were.

"You just won't go down!" she exclaimed angrily. The guy shook his head stoically.

"No, I will not."

"Argh!" Kiyomi hurled kunai after kunai at him, but he expertly deflected them with the chain of his weapon. It was then that Kiyomi saw her opening, saw the ever so slight hesitation as he put his weight on his left leg, speaking of an old injury.

Kiyomi threw herself down and kicked viciously at his left knee. She connected and there was a crack as the guy dropped to one knee, snarling in pain. She seized the hand holding his weapon and sliced across the back of it. He surrendered the weapon with another snarl of pain and Kiyomi hurled it aside into the brush. She kicked once more, up into his chin, flinging him onto his back. Kiyomi leapt, kunai ready, seeing her chance to take him out. The idiot didn't even have a shirt on, he was exposing a couple dozen vital points.

Kiyomi came down straddling his stomach, and her kunai buried itself into his chest, just under his heart. He gasped in pain, eyes widening. Kiyomi doubled over and screamed as, with his last ounce of strength, he drove his own kunai into her side, above her right hip. He put all of his strength into it, driving it to the hilt into her before his hand thumped to the ground lifelessly. Kiyomi rolled off of him, panting wildly with pain, and ripped the kunai from her side.

Immediately she realized her mistake, cursing herself for not remembering the most basic rule. If you get stabbed, leave the damn thing in you. It's the only thing holding in the blood. Kiyomi learned that lesson vividly as hot liquid gushed over her hands. She pressed them to her side desperately.

Sayuri screamed once more as the kunai cut into her. She couldn't move her hands to defend herself, and they weren't angled properly to force a sword from her palm. All she could do was pay very close attention to the man's movements and try to catch him on the end of a sharpened bone when he came close.

"I'm enjoying our game," he cackled as he darted back from a rib that jutted out towards him. Blood dripped from a few places where she'd pricked him, but her shirt was nearly soaked in blood from the dozens of cuts he'd scored across her. He'd yet to hit anything vital though, those bones of hers were holding him off from going deeper than the skin.

"Get away from her!"

He looked up, eyes widening as a red-haired woman lunged for him, knocking him back with a kick.

"A new playmate!" he said delightedly, picking himself up off the ground and wiping the blood from his mouth with a corner of his side. He glanced at Sayuri. "Your friend looks mad."

"Miyako," Sayuri moaned, wracked with pain. "That freak… Likes blood… Why don't you… Show him?"

"Aw, you want your friend to show me her blood?" he crooned. "How sweet of you!"

Sayuri's hitai-ate had come off her eyes in the scuffle, and she gave him the most hateful look she could muster.

"No… I want her… to show you… _mine_…"

His eyes widened as the blood rose from Sayuri's body and into the air, forming into sharp points. He turned and tried to run, but Miyako flicked her wrist forwards and the blood daggers sheared through the air, driving all the way through him. Atumotu toppled like a puppet with its strings cut.

Ayano finished off Unari with a crack of her foot across the woman's face. Her head snapped to the side and she spun as she dropped and Ayano grabbed her, reaching into her hip pouch and seizing a pair of chakra cuffs she carried for occasions like this. The bounty on Unari Kotetsu would pay her rent for nearly four months and her clan had some very interesting things going for them. Ibiki would _love_ to talk to her…

"Ayano…"

Ayano looked up sharply in the direction of the whimper. She leapt over a tent and into the tree line, looking around frantically. She first saw the body of a red-haired man with a kunai buried in the chest, and then she saw Kiyomi sprawled next to it, a rosette creeping across her shirt.

"Oh shit!" she cursed, dropping to her knees hastily beside Kiyomi, placing her hands over the girls, keeping pressure on the wounds. The sounds of battle had stopped. "Miyako!" she called. "I need you over here!"

"Sayuri's hurt badly too!" Miyako called back. "Can you bring her here?"

Ayano gathered Kiyomi in her arms and gave one large leap, trying to make the ride as smooth as possible, but Kiyomi still shouted as she was jostled in the landing.

"Shit!" Ayano repeated when she saw the state Sayuri was in, swords through her hands. She laid Kiyomi down on the other side of Miyako, who had one hand on Sayuri's stomach, the blood slowly creeping back into her wounds. Miyako laid her other hand over Kiyomi and the blood started receding.

"Can you heal them?" Ayano asked fearfully, mind flashing back to those years ago when she lost all three students in one mission. They'd been facing Kumo then too.

"Not something this bad," Miyako said, shaking her head fearfully. She looked up at Ayano, tears in her eyes. "They're bad, Ayano, really bad."

"Okay, we need to get them back to Konoha, stat," Ayano said, shakily getting to her knees and taking control of the situation. "I'll have Washibi carry that Kumo bitch."

"Kumo bitches," Miyako corrected. Ayano looked at her, surprised by her language, but Miyako's eyes were fixed hatefully on the wounds her teammates bore. "The one I was fighting surrendered. She's tied over there." She nodded in the general direction.

"Okay," Ayano nodded. She bit her thumb sharply. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Washibi appeared beside her. "What do you-?" The bird's eyes landed on the two bleeding genin. "Oh my." For once he restrained himself from a snappy comment.

"Two captives, that way and that way," Ayano said, pointing in the direction of Unari and Uta. "We'll take them to Konoha. I'm heading for the hospital ASAP, and you go to Lady Hokage. Unari's in the bingo books and the other one surrendered, tell them that. We'll be following soon."

"If I take my hands off them the bleeding will start again," Miyako exclaimed in frustration as Washibi took off to gather his captives. "How are we going to do this?"

"I've got an idea." Ayano pressed her still bleeding thumb to the ground. She swayed slightly as two more large eagles appeared. "They'll carry them and you'll go between."

Miyako noticed her swaying. "I have the cougars…"

"You don't have the chakra for two Summons, running, and using that kekkei genkai of yours all at once," Ayano said shortly. "Now get them on and let's move."

It was an exercise in awkward maneuvering as they tried to get Kiyomi and Sayuri onto the eagles, the girls themselves only barely able to help, fading in and out from pain, but they finally managed it and readied to leave.

"Wait a minute," Ayano said weakly. She walked to a chest and shattered the lock with a sharp kick. Reaching inside, she pulled out a small golden vase totally encrusted with jewels. She thrust the thing into her pocket. Miyako stared at it hatefully. That _thing_ caused all this bloodshed.

Ayano turned back to her Summons. "Now we just need to make it back before the pain gets them."

* * *

**The herb is Jamaica dogwood. I picked it because it's considered to be a bit dangerous, and can cause bad side-effects, therefore could also be used as a poison. I figured that it would be more likely for a shinobi to have a potentially-dangerous herb on them.**


	26. Revenge

**Truth: She _wanted_ to make him pay.**

"This isn't working," Miyako exclaimed in frustration. She stopped running, the two eagles ferrying her teammates dropping on either side of her.

"We need to keep moving," Ayano urged.

"I know, but I can't keep this up on both of them," Miyako said, looking between her two friends in desperation. The problem was that they were both losing a lot of blood. Kiyomi was definitely in worse shape. Sayuri's bones had stopped Atumotu's blades from going deeper than her skin; it was the sheer number of cuts that was the problem. Kiyomi had been stabbed however, and there was internal damage to contend with.

"If you can bandage Sayuri's middle, I can focus more of my attention on Kiyomi, and Sayuri should be okay," Miyako said after a moment of thought.

"Okay," Ayano nodded, reaching into her pouch and drawing out a scroll. She quickly made a few hand signs and a thick roll of bandages appeared. It was easy to rip through the last bits of cloth holding Sayuri's shirt in place, leaving her in only her pants and the bindings over her chest. Ayano worked quickly and expertly as she wound bandages around Sayuri's stomach, where the worst of the damage was.

"I know healing jutsu," interjected the albino captive softly. "I could-"

"Shut up!" Miyako snapped. All shyness was gone in the stress of keeping her two teammates held together.

"Miyako, we've still got a way to- Argh!"

"_Ayano!"_

Ayano collapsed to the ground, an expertly-thrown rock landing beside her, the blood on her temple evidence of what took her out. She'd been too focused on her students to notice they were being followed.

With their master unconscious, Ayano's summons vanished, leaving their cargo to fall to the ground. Miyako whirled to them as Kiyomi moaned piteously but didn't wake and Sayuri flinched violently. Uta yipped and tried to keep herself from falling. Unari, still unconscious, hit the ground like a sack of flour.

"Isn't this just _pathetic?"_

Miyako whirled and her eyes narrowed at the boy in the straw hat. Blood poured down his front but his eyes were lit with a purely maniacal light. Madness was all that was driving him now.

"You," Uta whimpered, terror etching across her face as she looked at her crazed teammate. He pointed to her with a shaking, bloodied hand.

"I am going to kill you," he swore to her. "You traitor, I am going to kill you, and I am going to _enjoy it!"_

* * *

"_Ayano!"_

The shout attracted the attention of Gai's team, who had been passing back that way on their return from their own mission.

"That sounded like Miyako," Lee murmured worriedly, glancing in the direction of the shout. "What do you think has happened?"

Gai gave his traditional pose. "As shinobi in the springtime of our youth it is our duty to see to our comrades! Neji?"

"Byakugan!" the veins around Neji's eyes bulged and he turned in the direction of the shout. "It's Ayano's team alright," he reported with surprise. "But everyone except Miyako seems to be down! There are three unfamiliar people with them. Two are tied, and only one's conscious. The unbound one is the only one functional, although," he took in the flickering chakra source, "just barely."

Gai's eyes widened slightly. "Ayano is down?"

Neji nodded and the team all moved at once, taking off through the treetops in that direction. When they arrived, they found a very strange scene. Ayano on the ground, a rock beside her, her head bleeding. Two bound Kumo kunoichi were on the ground, and the conscious one wasn't struggling at all. On the contrary, she was looking at a man from the same village and shaking with fear. Miyako crouched between a bandaged Sayuri and a groaning Kiyomi, hands on their shoulders, glaring at the boy.

"Oooh!" the boy giggled. His eyes were mad, past the point of reason. He took a shaky step forwards. "More people… That means more blood!"

Quickly realizing who the enemy was here, Gai's team moved forwards.

And suddenly Miyako realized that it was so simple. This was what they did, both she and her father. This was their duty, to give their lives for the mission if necessary. He had died in service to the village, just as he would have wanted. But here and now she had people relying on her, her team, and back home, an entire clan. She could no longer be the weak one. She had to be strong. Here in front of her was the man that did this to her team, and _she_ would be the one to make him pay for that. Truthfully she _wanted_ to make him pay.

"_Stay where you are!"_

The voice contained such authority that they all turned back to see if it was really Miyako who had spoken. It was, and she was glaring at the boy with such hate it twisted her normally pretty features into a draconic snarl.

"He's mine," Miyako growled.

Neji, familiar with the basics of her kekkei genkai, knew better. He nodded to Sayuri and Kiyomi. "But if you stop touching them, they'll start bleeding."

Miyako whirled on the albino Kumo girl. "You know healing jutsu?" The girl nodded wordlessly, pink eyes bulging with fear and confusion. "If I release you, will you heal them?" Again she nodded wordlessly.

"I don't think that's a good-" Tenten began.

"When I want your opinion, Tenten, I'll ask," Miyako said coldly, and Tenten froze in place. Miyako turned back to the Kumo girl and removed her hand from Sayuri to grab the front of her furisode, yanking her forwards. "They die, you die," she threatened. "Start with Kiyomi." With a quick slash of a kunai she tore through the girl's bindings. Frantic with fear of both Atumotu and Miyako, Uta crawled forwards on her hands and knees, taking over for Miyako as she pushed herself to her feet.

Slowly, Miyako stepped forwards, and Gai's team moved back. They didn't know precisely what had happened, but clearly it was bad. Sayuri, Kiyomi, and Ayano were down, and Miyako was out for blood. It took something extreme to get Team 9 to this point.

"You like blood?" she asked the panting Atumotu softly as he staggered and was forced to lean against a tree to support himself. "It excites you?"

"More than anything," the boy said with a wide, rabid grin. "The taste of it, the smell of it, the feel of it between my fingers. It's the best thing in the world!"

"And I bet you think you know everything there is to know about it, don't you?"

"More than you," Atumotu snapped defensively as Miyako came closer. He wasn't in any shape to fight her, and he knew it, but he wasn't going to curl up and beg for his life like Uta obviously had. He threw his ex-teammate a hate-filled glance.

Miyako's lips quirked slightly. "Wrong answer," she said, and surged forwards. But instead of thrusting a kunai into his heart or leveling him with a punch or kick, she just softly stroked his cheek with the backs of her fingers. Atumotu blinked at her, startled by the sudden gentility. But then Miyako leapt back to get some distance and settled on her back foot, raising her hands above her as if she were about to conduct a symphony.

Atumotu's eyes widened as Miyako's fingers twitched. He clutched his chest and panted, trying to get enough air, but he couldn't, it felt like someone was crushing his chest, _what was this…?_

"A heart attack," Miyako said calmly. "It's the heart that pumps the blood, and just by controlling what amount of blood goes where I can trigger a minor cardiac episode. The Hasekura family prides themselves on their ability to prevent death, but we can also cause it in a variety of truly inventive ways through blood.

"It's fascinating, isn't it?" Miyako continued, her voice steadily becoming more and more dispassionate, as if she were giving a particularly dull lecture to an inattentive class. "Where blood goes in your body? For example…" The fingers of her right hand curled slightly and Atumotu gasped as his right leg suddenly filled with pins and needles, the circulation cut off. Miyako's fingers loosened. Sensation came back to his leg with a rush, his heart pounding. Atumotu had never been more afraid in his life. He now knew why Uta surrendered to this girl. He wanted to surrender to her, but he knew that she didn't want his surrender. She wanted his _head._

"But the question remains," Miyako said softly. "How to kill you? Because I _am_ going to kill you." A small smile crept across her face. "You know what? As my last bit of mercy to you, I'm going to give you a bloody death, the bloodiest I can manage. The average human male of your weight has about eight pints of blood. Do you know what happens if all that blood suddenly pushes _out?"_

"N-" Atumotu didn't even finish his protest before his body bulged oddly. It was only visible for a moment and then he exploded, bits of bone and organs flying in every direction as every bit of blood in his body suddenly ripped free and flew towards Miyako. It coalesced in a ball over her palm, a swirling orb of red that she manipulated with twitches of her fingers, regarding it curiously.

"Maybe a bit more than 8 pints," she said absently.

Gai's team was gaping as the mist of blood hung in the air. Miyako… sweet little Miyako… had just vaporized someone. No, it wasn't the sweet Miyako they knew in front of them. This was the head of the Hasekura clan, the angry head of the clan, and she was out for revenge.

Miyako was out for _blood. _

And now it seemed that she'd gotten it, and she wasn't quite sure what to do now. Her hand dropped, the blood slopping down into a puddle at her feet, some of it splashing up and staining her black pants.

"M… Mi… yako?"

"Ayano." Gai moved towards his fellow jonin and slowly helped her up. "Easy," he warned. "That was a pretty hard hit you took."

"The hell happened?" Ayano groaned, bringing a hand up to her temple and wincing as her fingers touched sticky blood. "I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and then my head hurt. There was some kid." She perked up and looked around frantically. "Where'd that little Kumo bastard go?" she demanded wrathfully.

"Heh, you let a genin sneak up on you?" Gai asked with a weak chuckle, trying to distract the jonin from the shell-shocked shape Miyako was in. "Maybe it's time for you to consider retire-"

"My age has nothing to do with it," she snapped. Gai winced slightly.

"Ayano, they'll be fine," he assured her, and with a glance at the two genin girls he knew he was right. That Kumo girl, no matter what village she came from, was a good medic, and she had indeed made some significant progress on their wounds, though a layer of sweat had broken out across her skin and she was shaking. "This isn't like the last-"

"Don't you _dare_ bring them into this, Gai, or I swear, I will kick you so hard you won't wake up for a week," Ayano snarled and tugged herself away from him, pushing herself to her feet. She glanced to the side and her eyes widened as she saw Uta bent over her students, hands glowing with green healing chakra. "The _hell?"_

"She said she knew healing jutsu, so Miyako let her loose to deal with Sayuri and Kiyomi while she handled that boy," Tenten said hastily.

"Miyako took him out?" Ayano repeated slightly incredulously. "Where is he?"

Gai wordlessly pointed at the puddle of blood by Miyako's feet and the bits of gore flecking her. Ayano's eyes widened and she paled. "Holy _hell."_

Lee and Tenten were wary of approaching Miyako as she stared straight ahead, dead-eyed. It was Neji who had the courage to step towards her. She didn't react to his approach, didn't even twitch.

"Miyako?" he called warily.

As if hearing her name had flipped some kind of off switch, Miyako's knees suddenly gave out. Instinct made Neji dart forwards and catch her before she hit the ground, but then he found himself with an arm full of distraught teenage girl. He looked at Lee and Tenten helplessly.

"I'm not losing anyone else," she murmured into his chest as he supported her shaking frame. She was shockingly thin, waiflike. "Not them, not now, not ever. I'm through being the one always in the back. I will fight with them and I will not let them get hurt like this again," she swore more to herself than to him. Neji glanced down at her, as if expecting her to launch back into that coldly vengeful state and come at him this time.

"I… believe you," he said, hoping a confirmation of her pledge to herself would be what she needed to pull herself together.

"Thank you… for having faith in me," she murmured, eyelids drooping. "I'm so… tired."

Neji was forced to haul her into his arms bridal style as she passed out, overuse of chakra having finally gotten to her. There was no telling how long she'd been trying to keep her friend's from bleeding out, and that on top of a fight and running had left her running on empty.

"We still need to get them back to Konoha," Ayano muttered. "And I'm running low." She toed Unari's unconscious form with a bit more force than intended. "She took more out of me than I thought she would."

"No, don't-" Uta exclaimed suddenly.

"Summoning Jutsu."

Uta was dithering over Sayuri, who had rolled onto her stomach and was panting through gritted teeth against the pain as she slapped a hand against the ground. There was a burst of smoke and a huge komodo dragon appeared. It grinned.

"Hey babe, how's it- what happened?" the reptile demanded, going from crude to concerned in the blink of an eye. He lowered his head and his tongue flicked out against Sayuri's cheek. "Hey kid, you okay?"

"Just need… to get back to Konoha," she grunted, reaching for his neck.

"You're too weak for a Summons-" Ayano said sharply.

"No I'm not," Sayuri grunted as she hauled herself onto Dokumo's back, gritting her teeth against the pain. "That sadist caught me pretty early on and pinned me with his swords." She wordlessly held up her hands and Ayano paled as she saw the holes punched clear through her palms. Lee winced sharply.

Sayuri cried out as Dokumo vanished from under her. She hit the ground on her side and snarled in pain, slamming her palm down in fury and cursing. "I should be able to hold it! I'm not in that bad of shape!"

"For dealing with Atumotu, you're really not," Uta murmured softly. "He usually likes to go deeper with his cuts."

Ayano looked at the girl askance. "And how would you know that?"

Uta lowered her head shyly and then began lifting her sleeve, revealing long, thin cuts down her arms. "Atumotu is violent when he's angry," she murmured. Ayano's face softened slightly, but she still retied Uta's wrists.

"Let's just get home," she said, shaking her head wearily. She bent down and picked up Sayuri in her arms, who protested vehemently.

"I'm fine!"

"You're not!" Ayano snapped. "Now quit wiggling or I'll drop you again. Gai, can you get that?" She nodded at Unari. Gai swept the unconscious woman up and tossed her over his shoulder with ease, at which Ayano rolled her eyes.

"Tenten, think you can carry Kiyomi?" Ayano asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Tenten nodded, hefting up the girl.

"Right," Ayano mused. "Lee, carry the albino so she doesn't slow us down." Lee picked up a flushing and squirming Uta in his arms and Ayano glanced at Neji. "You okay over there Hyuuga?" He nodded. "Then let's move."

* * *

"Looks like we've switched places," Sayuri mused. This time she was the one lying in a hospital bed, and Kimimaro was sitting on the edge, holding her hand tightly.

"Indeed it does," Kimimaro nodded. He stared at Kiyomi, who was in the bed next to Sayuri's, back to them, seemingly asleep. "When will you be allowed out?"

"Theoretically in three days."

"You intend to leave tomorrow."

Sayuri smiled slightly. "You know me so well."

Kimimaro's hand trailed absently along her forearm, wrist, and fingers. "And how long will Kiyomi be here?"

"For at least another three days," Sayuri recalled. "Really three days, in her case. She was worse off than I was, the kunai hit a major organ. Without that Kumo girl, she might have died. I'll have to thank her," Sayuri mused absently, raising a hand to rub her stomach. It had been quickly healed by the med-nin, but she wasn't supposed to be up and moving yet.

"What happened?"

"Miyako caught her opponent, I got pinned by mine… From what I heard, I'm assuming Kiyomi's got the drop on her."

In her bed, eyes glaring hatefully at the wall, Kiyomi had to restrain a snarl as she listened to the Kaguya talk freely.

_At least another three days…_

Sayuri was so confident that she could walk out of here early, but no, she had no faith that Kiyomi herself could do the same. Did Sayuri think she was stronger? That she could take the pain better? Kiyomi could get out of here whenever she wanted, she could deal with the pain, but no, Sayuri thought she was bed-ridden from a single stab wound. _She wasn't that weak!_

_I'm assuming Kiyomi's got the drop on her._

Yes, because people routinely got the drop on Kiyomi. It was the first time anything like this had ever happened, and she was bound and determined that it would be the last! No one was ever going to stab her again, and if they did, she wouldn't go down. She'd stay firm and fight it out, unlike Sayuri, who got pinned to the ground and carved into like a turkey.

Of course Sayuri didn't mean any of these things in a negative way. She said three days even though the doctor had said five, because she knew about Kiyomi's determination to prove to her father that she was a good kunoichi. She assumed Kiyomi was surprised because she didn't think there was any other way she would have been taken down so easily, by a single kunai. She had great respect for Kiyomi. She was, after all, the only one who killed their original opponent.

But hatred was a poison and it had long festered in Kiyomi's heart. First came her parents preference of Aika, but back then she hadn't cared, because Aika was so devoted to her. Then she began to drift away, and suddenly she was just gone, abandoning her adoring little sister. Then was the pressure from her father, and added to that, Sayuri's seeming perfection in the eyes of everyone she spoke to and how try as she might Kiyomi could never seem to please anyone as easily and effortlessly as Sayuri could.

Jealousy had been a dominant feeling in her for so many years that it was an acknowledged part of her. If resentment was like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die, then Kiyomi had swallowed dose after dose. Resentment of her sister's artistic talent, her father's attempts to control her, her mother's silence, Miyako's preference for Sayuri over her, Ayano's affection towards Sayuri, and a dozen other people who had offended her in small ways over the years, poison building and building until there in that hospital bed it came to a head and Kiyomi made her decision.

She rolled over on her sheets with a small moan, still feigning sleep. For a moment, Sayuri and Kimimaro stopped speaking, presumably glancing her way. Kiyomi kept her breathing regular and her eyelids only lightly shut. Their soft voices started up again and Kiyomi slit her eyes to look at Sayuri.

She lounged in her hospital bed in such a way that she managed to make a hospital robe look elegant, all refined features and glittering eyes. Kimimaro, the one who was a stoic statue to everyone else, was looking at her adoringly, fingers trailing over her skin as if he couldn't resist touching her.

Kiyomi's eyes sharpened and, peace made with her decision, she swore a vow to herself and to Sayuri.

_One day… Maybe not next week, maybe not next month, maybe not soon… But one day, I will be strong, and when that day comes, when I'm finally ready… I'm going to make you pay for all of those snide comments you've made disguised as advice, for all the times your eyes skated over me in favor of someone else even though you can't really see a person to begin with, for all the times someone admired you over me._

_One day, Sayuri Kaguya… I'm going to kill you._

Kiyomi smiled into her pillow, strangely content with the idea of ending the life of the girl in the hospital bed across from her. She even knew how to do it.

* * *

Ayano was surprised to hear the knock on her door three days later. Sayuri had been out against medical advisement for two days already but Kiyomi was still there. She was just thinking of paying the girl a visit when the knock came, and when she opened the door, who should she find but the very girl she'd wanted to see?

"Kiyomi?"

The girl's face was blotched as if from crying and she was shaking and trembling like a leaf in a windstorm. Clearly, something was very wrong.

"Has something happened?" she demanded. "Are you okay? Is _Sayuri _okay?"

The mention of the other girl only fueled Kiyomi's determination and she used that energy, channeling it into her deception as she flung herself at Ayano's feet with a low, heart-rending moan.

"Please Ayano-sensei, teach me your lightning technique!" Kiyomi begged, kneeling in front of her teacher.

Ayano's eyes widened. Kiyomi had never expressed an interest before, and now here she was, kneeling on her front stoop and wounding her not-inconsiderable pride by begging on her hands and knees.

"Wha-?"

"I want to be able to defend my team!" Kiyomi blurted, as if she were ashamed by the very fact she had to admit to that. "I _want_ to be able to defend them against anything, but I _can't!_ Sayuri has her Shikotsumyaku, and Miyako has her Saiketsu, but I have nothing! They are miles above me and I cannot help them! I don't want to drag them down and force them to protect me. _Please _Ayano-sensei, _please!"_ she wailed frantically.

Ayano's mouth hardened. She'd known the recent mission had set Kiyomi on edge - it had set her, a seasoned veteran, on edge, what with Sayuri and Kiyomi being injured and Miyako being the only one left standing in the end - but she hadn't realized how badly. She'd always sworn she'd never teach anyone her technique, but this was _her_ team, one of _her_ girls. If she couldn't trust them, who could she trust?

"Okay," Ayano said softly, nodding her head. "Okay, I'll teach you."

Kiyomi bowed her head in feigned relief and obeisance, hair falling over her face and hiding her smirk.

_My teacher, the idol of kunoichis everywhere… is an idiot._

"Thank you, Ayano-sensei," she said breathlessly, hardly able to believe her triumph. _Because bone could not defeat lightning…_


	27. Loss

**Truth: It was her fault.**

"You're all ridiculous," Ayano said shortly.

It was months later. Kimimaro had settled into Konoha with Sayuri and Satoru, Kiyomi had become the most exemplary pupil she could ever hope for in her lightning technique, and Miyako was well on her way to mending from her father's death and becoming a successor he could be proud of. The scars from their last C-rank mission that had gone so horribly wrong were distant memories, only thin white lines in the worst cases.

"You remember how the last one went!" Ayano snapped.

"It's been months since then," Miyako begged. "We all want to go out and prove ourselves!"

"Gai's team saw us like that," Sayuri murmured, looking at her feet darkly. "It still embarrasses me that they saw us so… beaten up."

"We've improved, you know we have!" Kiyomi insisted. "The first time things were out of our control, but we handled it! And yeah, last time, things went wrong, but we've gotten so much better! You even said you were confident we could become chunin next time we took the test!"

"I am, but that doesn't mean I want you running out on another dangerous mission!" Ayano snapped. "You're not ready!"

"We are!" Kiyomi insisted eagerly, but inside she was angry.

She'd been planning this for months. This was how she could get Sayuri. Things happened on missions all the time, and if she could separate Sayuri from the rest of them for a while, then she could do it quickly and quietly. She would return to Konoha as a grieving teammate. She didn't even mind playing the part if it meant she could silently revel in her triumph over her unknowing rival.

From the first time she'd managed to create a lightning jutsu, to every step she'd made, she'd seen in her mind's eye how Sayuri's face would look when she realized that Kiyomi was stronger than her, that she was about to die.

"I can't-" Ayano murmured brokenly.

This wasn't about the girls in front of her. This was about different faces. A tall blonde girl, a muscular dark-haired boy, and a small green-haired girl, dead at her feet, because she'd thought they were ready. The last C-rank she'd taken these three girls on had nearly ended in the same way, with dead genin at her feet, cracks in her confident mask, and a gaping hole in her heart.

"Ayano," Sayuri said softly, knowing precisely what was making their teacher hesitate. The anniversary hadn't been long ago, barely two weeks, and as reliable as Naruto's obsession with ramen, Ayano came for her yearly cup of tea and companionable silence with Satoru.

When Kiyomi had suggested a few days before that it was time for them to try a C-rank again, Sayuri and Miyako had both agreed. However, the problem now was timing. To wait a month would defeat the purpose of going now, of being able to prove to Ayano that they were ready for bigger things, but it was so close to the yearly reminder of what would be their biggest obstacle.

"We're not them," Sayuri continued. "We're ready. You've taught us well. You can pick the mission, one with low risks. Please, let us prove it."

Ayano looked at the faces in front of her. Kiyomi, who had recently managed a perfect lightning-feuled kick that caught her by surprise in one of their secret training sessions, kept so to prevent word from getting out that Ayano was sharing her technique. Kimimaro, who was a force to be reckoned with – and even more so thanks to a recent increase on the amount of chakra his cuffs allowed – had been teaching Sayuri in his spare time and she had become faster, stronger, and more flexible, her kekkei genkai more lethal. Miyako's time spent as head of her clan had wrought such a change in her that it was palpable. She looked people in the eye while speaking to them more often and didn't stutter at even the smallest interjection.

It wasn't them, it was her.

They were ready.

Ayano wasn't.

Ayano slumped. "You guys are serious about this, aren't you?" she asked wryly.

"Yes!" Kiyomi exclaimed. "We want to do this!"

There was a momentary pause as the genin waited with bated breath for Ayano's judgment. She sighed and drew a hand through her turquoise hair.

"Okay," she submitted. "Okay. But I pick the mission and if for any reason I don't like how it's going, we bail," she bargained.

"Easy," Miyako promised.

"Alright," Ayano nodded, letting out a woosh of air, still not sure how to believe that she'd really agreed. She still saw Kiyomi and Sayuri lying in pools of blood on those rare melancholy nights when she began to think back on fallen comrades. "I'll go and see what's available. Meet me back here tomorrow and we'll talk about the details."

The three genin nodded, delighted by their success.

"I think this calls for celebration!" Kiyomi announced as they left the training field, triumphant. "To that restaurant from the first time?"

Sayuri and Miyako nodded gladly and they started down the road to the same out-of-the-way place they'd gone after being first assigned to their teams. That was nearly a year ago now, but it didn't really seem like it had been so long.

They slid into the same table as they had the first time and ordered.

"We convinced her, _and _we're taking the chunin exam in a few weeks," Sayuri exulted as she sipped on her tea. Kiyomi smirked behind her own glass as Miyako nodded eagerly.

_That's right Sayuri, enjoy yourself. You're not coming that from this mission, and you're not making chunin if I have anything to say about it. I've worked too hard these past months to fail now. _

* * *

The mission was simple. Just like their first, it was an escort mission. A man was transporting scrolls containing sensitive information into the Land of Wind and he wanted protection on his trip to a village, despite the fact that the two lands were allies.

Daichi was a scholar, a thin man who wore voluminous blue robes. He was well-groomed and polite. The information contained in the scrolls pertained to a discovery he was working on with another scholar in Wind. Admittedly, not the most dangerous of information, but still desired by some. He had money to spare, so, for peace of mind, he'd hired a team of guards.

"You're in good hands sir," Ayano assured him.

"I'm sure," Daichi smiled back.

Daichi was much more reasonable than Yasushi had been.

"What sort of work are you doing, or can you tell us?" Miyako asked curiously.

"I'm working on a new medical jutsu that could help regrow lost limbs," Daichi explained, eyes sparkling with the shine of someone who truly enjoyed his work. "It's very complex, I'm not sure that you would-"

"No, no, my family are all med-nin sir, I completely understand," Miyako jumped in interestedly. Daichi smiled happily.

"Really?"

"Yes," Miyako nodded interestedly. "How do you solve the problem of cellular rejection?"

"Well, that's the main problem, and the hope is that…"

Miyako talked shop with Daichi while Ayano, Kiyomi, and Sayuri exchanged pleased looks. They'd worried at the outset of this mission that Miyako would simply remain in a depressed shell, but giving her a topic on which she was keen and worked wonders to distract her from her loss.

Kiyomi and Sayuri caught each other's eyes and smiled, pleased that Miyako seemed to be recovering slowly. Then Kiyomi turned away sharply, forcing the smile from her face.

_She's only your teammate, she's not your friend! She's always lorded it over you how much better she is! You're here to kill her!_

For the first time in months Kiyomi felt a sliver of doubt about her plan, but then she fisted her hand around the packet of herbs in her pocket. She set her mind to reviewing the plan over and over to distract herself from any second thoughts. She couldn't go back now, she'd worked too hard on Ayano's technique, learning it purely for this purpose.

They stopped for the night just to the side of the path, shielded from the eyes of passers-by by a large bush. They lit a fire and Sayuri prowled around, adding a few plants she'd found to the things they'd brought and created a hearty stew that could be sipped from bowls.

Sayuri took a sip and smiled. "It's ready. Who wants some?"

"Smells lovely," Daichi smiled. "It's been a while since I've had someone cook for me."

"I'll serve," Kiyomi said sharply, bolting up as Sayuri reached for the ladle. Sayuri looked up at her in surprise. They usually had a method for how they handled camp. Sayuri cooked, Miyako handled the fire and wood, Kiyomi put up tents if it was needed, and Ayano established a perimeter. It was rare they crossed into someone else's duties.

"You cooked," Kiyomi shrugged, but sweat had broken out on her forehead. This was a key part of her plan. She couldn't have Miyako and Ayano getting in her way.

"Thank you," Sayuri said slowly, surprised by Kiyomi's thoughtfulness. She settled back on her haunches as Kiyomi started ladling stew into bowls. Then came the tricky part: drugging Miyako, Ayano, and Daichi's bowls. Ayano was a trained jonin, she would be the biggest challenge, but Kiyomi had practiced for hours smoothly pouring the herbs into a bowl until even she couldn't see herself doing it when she watched in a mirror.

"Here you go," Kiyomi said passing around the bowls. She waited tensely for Ayano and Miyako to take their firsts sips, fearing that one of them would stand up and call her out, but none of them so much as flinched. Ayano didn't break stride in her conversation with Daichi about politics and Miyako was lost in her head again, that melancholy expression on her face.

"Thank you," Sayuri said as Kiyomi handed her the bowl. Kiyomi jumped slightly and a little bit of the stew slopped onto Sayuri's leg.

"Sorry," she blurted instinctively as Sayuri mopped her pants. Sayuri looked up at her and smiled, taking the bowl.

"Not a problem."

* * *

"You're being awfully helpful," Ayano mused as Kiyomi volunteered for the first watch that night. Kiyomi shrugged and glanced at Miyako meaningfully. Ayano nodded, understanding Kiyomi's meaning, or at least, what Kiyomi wanted her to think she meant.

"Ah."

Ayano turned away from the fire and curled up under her blanket next to Sayuri, Miyako on her other side. Daichi was on the other side of the fire from them.

"Hmm, I don't know why I'm so tired tonight," Ayano mumbled as she snuggled deeper into her blankets. Kiyomi twitched slightly.

"I know," Miyako agreed, yawning. Daichi was already out, snoring softly and swaddled in a blue blanket that matched his robes.

Kiyomi glanced around, waiting for night to fall, that was when she'd strike, but not here, not in the camp. She had to get Sayuri away from the camp a decent distance before she could try anything. The drugs were strong, but they wouldn't keep anyone asleep though a knock-down drag-out fight like the one she was planning to have.

"Sayuri!" Kiyomi hissed.

"Mm?" Sayuri sat up sleepily, blinking in her direction. "K'yomi? What is it?"

"I thought I heard something," Kiyomi said, slowly drawing a kunai and tensing, staring off into the blackness. "Come check it out with me."

"We should wake Ayano," Sayuri said, snapping into awareness when she saw the glint of the blade. She reached over to shake their teacher's shoulder but Kiyomi stopped her.

"Nah, let her sleep. She said she was tired. It's probably nothing, I'd just feel better if we checked it out. And you've got that sensing thing."

Sayuri rolled to her feet with a grunt and agreed, "I do have that 'sensing thing.'" She sounded amused as she rolled her shoulders, popping them, and strode forwards.

"Which way?"

"Over here."

Kiyomi was sure Sayuri would hear her heart pounding as she led Sayuri deeper and deeper into the trees, but Sayuri continued to walk blithely by her side, head turning in different directions. It gave her a thrill that Sayuri, the great Sayuri Kaguya, hadn't picked up on her trick yet.

"Kiyomi, there's nothing out here!" Sayuri burst out irritably as they entered a wide clearing in the trees. She spun to face Kiyomi, who was so glad she'd said that. Any trace of doubt vanished at the sound of that rebuke from Sayuri.

"Did you want to talk or something?" Sayuri asked in confusion. "You could have just asked, you know."

"No, I didn't really want to talk," Kiyomi said softly. Her arm snapped forwards.

Sayuri cried out and rolled as the kunai sailed over her head. She made to rise, only for a knee to bury into her side. On a normal person a rib would have broken, but she was only winded as she staggered backwards.

"Kiyomi?" she demanded incredulously. "What the-? What's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me?" Kiyomi hissed. "The same thing that's always been in me, but I finally decided to do something about it!"

"Wha-?"

Sayuri ducked and dodged a flurry of punches and jumped back, getting some distance from Kiyomi.

"What are you doing?" Sayuri burst out furiously. "Stop it Kiyomi! We're on a mission!"

Kiyomi paused, arms lowering. "You… you think I'm just playing," she realized.

"Of course, why else would you be doing this?" Sayuri asked, confused.

Anger pounded through Kiyomi. "Why else… _Why else?_" she screeched. "_Why?_ Because of all the times you've looked down on me, made me feel like crap because I'm not as _perfect_ as you! Ever since we graduated and I joined your team, it's been the same thing from_ everyone_. Why aren't you as good as Sayuri? Well you know what?" she shouted, smiling as understanding and horror dawned on Sayuri's face. "I _am!_ And I'm going to prove it to _all of them!"_

Sayuri was stunned. Kiyomi was really and truly out for blood. They'd never gotten along as well as Miyako and Sayuri had, but they'd had each other's backs, had trained alongside each other, fought alongside each other, had defended each other… and now Kiyomi wanted her head?

"I don't understand," Sayuri said slowly. Kiyomi threw back her head and laughed, the anger pounding through her veins preventing her from hearing how deranged she sounded.

"You don't understand?" she repeated mockingly. "Oh, that's priceless! You don't _understand _why I _hate _you? Why I can barely stand to be _around _you? Because you think you're _perfect_, _everyone_ thinks you're perfect, and you're _not!_ And I'm_ so_ sick of it! So here and now, _I'm going to_ _kill you, Sayuri Kaguya!"_

Sayuri's face hardened. "You'll never get far. Ayano and Miyako won't let you."

"Ayano and Miyako won't wake up," Kiyomi grinned, lifting the empty pouch and tossing it towards Sayuri. She took it and brought it to her nose, inhaling. Her eyes widened and she looked at Kiyomi furiously.

"You drugged them!" she accused.

"I learned that little trick from you," Kiyomi simpered.

"You… you traitor!" Sayuri hissed, heart bleeding. She'd always known that Kiyomi was a little jealous, but that's all she thought it was, a little envy. She'd always thought envy in small doses was a good thing, that it encouraged you to try harder, but this wasn't a small dose. This was a heaping helping, and Kiyomi was drowning in it.

"You drugged your _teacher_, you drugged your_ friend_, and you're trying to kill your _teammate!"_ Sayuri said, sliding deeper and deeper into betrayal and anger as she lost control of her tongue. Now she was just out to hurt Kiyomi. "Clearly, everyone who said I was your better was _right!"_

With an enraged howl, Kiyomi attacked, sending a fireball towards Sayuri, who dodged effortlessly, swords sliding out of her palms. Kiyomi's kunai clashed against Sayuri's sword and the two traded blows, Kiyomi swiping furiously and Sayuri blocking deftly. Sayuri hooked a sword around the kunai and sent it spiraling into the night with a quick flick.

Sayuri leveled the point of her sword at Kiyomi's throat. The girl swallowed, her throat bobbing against the tip.

"You'll never beat my swords," Sayuri said, coldly furious. "You know that."

"Maybe not with a kunai," Kiyomi allowed, but she was still smiling. Sayuri's eeys narrowed in confusion as Kiyomi swept away from the point of the sword and dropped back onto her hands, kicking out at Sayuri's knees. Sayuri leapt back, getting some distance, which was exactly what Kiyomi wanted.

Strong legs scythed through the air, Kiyomi's hands flying through signs and lightning ripped up her limbs. Sayuri screamed and threw herself to the side, heart racing. The hairs on her arms stood on end as a bolt of lightning seared past her.

"That's Ayano's-" Sayuri gasped, utterly floored. Ayano had taught Kiyomi this secret technique? Why? Had Kiyomi learned it purely to bring her down? Her betrayal hit her all over again, that Kiyomi would go through the effort of learning the immensely difficult technique purely to kill her.

"Yeah, it is," Kiyomi crowed. "You're going to lose, Sayuri Kaguya! Bone cannot defeat lightning!"

Sayuri lay on the ground, panting. She had a dilemma. The Kaguya in her was screaming to tear Kiyomi apart for this, until she was nothing but little, bloody,_ traitorous_ pieces. But she didn't want to hurt Kiyomi. She remembered all the times they trained together, the times they went to that restaurant and laughed as they sang along to whatever song was playing. However, Kiyomi was all but forcing her to use deadly maneuvers to counter the lightning.

"It's time to pay!" Kiyomi roared as she flipped, legs sparking. "You knew you had this coming!"

Sayuri had no time to think about how she should react. She barely had time to react as Kiyomi's feet came down hard towards her stomach. She braced her feet against the ground and discharged chakra, sending herself skidding along the ground. She braced one hand on the ground and used her momentum to flip over it, landing on her feet, heart pounding with adrenaline and concern.

This was a new kind of fight. She'd never fought Ayano's technique before in their sparring. It was too dangerous. She only had one advantage. Bone didn't conduct electricity well. If she was going to do any blocking, it had to be with her swords. If any of those kicks hit her skin, even a little, they had enough power to floor her and send her muscles seizing long enough for Kiyomi to finish her off. Mind made up, Sayuri gripped the handles of her swords with more purpose and set into a stance.

The lightning Kiyomi was producing around her legs charged the atmosphere and the heavy clouds that had lingered overhead all day burst, drenching them to the skin in seconds. The two girls panted as the rain fell, eyes blazing at each other from across the field.

"You're not going to beat me," Sayuri said, voice pitched just loud enough that Kiyomi could hear her over the rain. "I'm not going to let you."

"It's not up to you," Kiyomi snapped. "It's up to me. It's always been up to me to show everyone that you're not as great as they think. Miyako's been your devoted slave since the beginning and Ayano's blind." She flashed a sardonic smile. "Funny, that, considering _you're_ the blind one."

"If you're trying to insult me with that, you're dimmer than I thought," Sayuri said coldly. The smile dropped.

"I _hate_ that tone. That _damn condescending tone,_" Kiyomi growled, flying forwards again.

Sayuri used the time it took her to cross the field to strip off her shirt. Bones burst from her skin, a rib blocking Kiyomi's electric-charged kick.

"What did you say about lightning beating bone?" Sayuri challenged. Kiyomi disengaged with a snarl and came back as Sayuri from the back. Sayuri spun and twisted as Kiyomi came at her from all directions, frantically blocking her powerful kicks with her swords and bones. She realized that Kiyomi must have been holding back in their spars for months, because her kicks now rattled Sayuri's arm to deflect.

Sayuri hated Kiyomi for making her use deadly force against her, but she was so damn _fast!_ She couldn't risk slipping and getting hit, because that would end it all for her. Sayuri shoved against Kiyomi's leg and sent her flying. Kiyomi righted herself in midair and skidded to a stop. She jumped back towards Sayuri.

"Larch Dance!"

Kiyomi drew up short with a curse. She'd always thought this technique was such an amazing defense, but right now she hated it, absolutely _hated_ it. It made it impossible for her to get close enough for a kick without getting turned into a pincushion by the needle-like bones bursting from all over Sayuri.

"You can't just spin forever!" Kiyomi shouted at her.

"Try me."

Kiyomi growled under her breath, working to find a solution. The spinning made it impossible to aim at any vital spots unless she just started hurling and hit one by dumb luck. But Sayuri was too good for that and Kiyomi was too good for that. She had to stop her spinning, that was the only option.

Kiyomi's eyes landed on Sayuri's feet, the source of her spinning, and she smiled, plucking a kunai from her pouch. Stop her feet, stop her spinning. There were no bones protecting them. As soon as she threw, Sayuri would have two options. Jump back, or get pinned to the ground by a foot. Either way, she would have to stop spinning.

Kiyomi threw and Sayuri jumped back. Kiyomi hurled a second kunai and Sayuri cried out. It skated along a ridge of bone and bit deeply into her shoulder. She ripped it free and tossed it into the air. Sayuri caught the spinning blade and sent it flying back at Kiyomi, who swayed to the side easily.

"That's first blood to me," Kiyomi said jovially, lunging back in.

"Camellia Dance!"

Again she was forced back, cursing bitterly and weaving frantically to try and avoid the deadly thrusts.

Except… they weren't deadly.

Kiyomi's eyes narrowed. The key to the Camellia Dance was that any one of the stabs was fatal if it connected. That was what made it so dangerous, and why it was a good foil for her lightning-fueled kicks. Each technique needed only one hit to take someone down. Or at least, that's how it usually worked, but none of Sayuri's thrusts were directed towards fatal areas, only painful ones.

Realization dawned on Kiyomi and she turned to block one of the stabs with a leg. If she was right, she could probably turn the tide of this battle long enough to win. If she was wrong, she was about to lose a leg.

Sure enough, Sayuri diverted her attack to the side, momentum carrying her forwards into Kiyomi's fist. The blow connected with her stomach and she doubled over, the breath knocked from her.

"That's the difference between you and me," Kiyomi whispered into her ear. "You're not willing to hurt me, but I'm _very _willing to hurt you."

Sayuri staggered back, gasping in a desperate attempt to get air. Her eyes widened as Kiyomi's foot came flying towards her shoulder. No time to react, no time to get a bone out far enough… This was what she feared, that it would only take one hit, one lightning-fueled hit on skin to knock her down, and here it came.

Sayuri closed her eyes as the kick connected, sending her flying backwards to skid along the ground, twitching violently.

Kiyomi's eyes blazed with triumph as she lunged towards Sayuri, the girl crumpled on the ground. She let out a fierce yell, which turned into a howl of denial as Sayuri's clone exploded into a cloud of smoke. Kiyomi hit the ground and spun, searching frantically for Sayuri.

Kiyomi's eyes widened as a bone sword slid through her side, and in front of her, Sayuri looked just as startled as she was.

"I guess I am the better one," Sayuri said softly. Kiyomi snarled as she pulled herself off of the sword, dropping to her knees in a puddle.

"_Sayuri! Kiyomi!"_

Sayuri whirled and Kiyomi looked up. Ayano and Miyako were leaping out of the trees, both of them looking horrified.

"Sayuri, what the hell were you doing?" Ayano snarled as the two landed next to her. Miyako wrenched the sword from Sayuri's hand.

"It wasn't- I didn't-" the girl stammered helplessly. She knew how it looked.

"It wasn't her fault-" Kiyomi gasped from the ground, one bloody hand trying to staunch her wound. "I came at her."

Sayuri looked down at Kiyomi, as shocked as Ayano and Miyako. If Kiyomi wanted to destroy her, this would have been the way. To let everyone think Sayuri had gone rogue and tried to kill her teammate. It would have been perfect, she had even used the drugs used in the stew before. But as Kiyomi glared up at her, hatred rolling off of her, Sayuri understood. Kiyomi wanted true victory, not a lie. Even now, she still had her pride.

"Kiyomi," Miyako whispered. _"Why-?"_

"Because I'm _so very tired_ of being second fiddle. For once in my life _I _wanted to be the best. Not my sister, not Sayuri, _me,"_ Kiyomi bit out around agonized pants. Miyako crouched down, hand glowing with glowing green healing chakra.

"Kiyomi, let me-"

"_No!" _

Kiyomi swatted Miyako's hands away and heaved herself to her feet, taking a few steps back. She looked at the three women assembled in front of her, all looking at her in betrayal. Her plan had backfired on her. No one was proud of her. They were all looking at her with so much damn _pity_ it turned her stomach. They would never smile at her again, not in the same way. They would never invite her over just to talk or go out to eat like friends. It was all over.

Kiyomi floundered through the rain towards the opposite side of the field. Sayuri started to go after her, but stopped herself. This girl had just tried to kill her, after all.

Kiyomi paused, sagging against a tree, and glanced back at them. "Don't come after me," she whispered, barely audible over the drizzling rain. With that, Kiyomi spun and staggered through the trees, vanishing.

"No-" Miyako whimpered, stepping forwards. Ayano caught her by the arm, tears trailing wordlessly down her face.

"We have to respect her wishes," Ayano said softly. "If this is what she wants."

Sayuri hit the ground on one knee, holding the wound on her shoulder, staring blankly in the direction Kiyomi had run.

"She just attacked me," Sayuri said dully. "I didn't realize… I didn't know that she… that she _hated _me…" She was shaking but she didn't realize it until Ayano fell to a knee next to her and placed a hand on her uninjured shoulder to steady her.

"Kiyomi!" Miyako wailed, dropping to her knees. Ayano threw her arms around each of her remaining student's shoulders. The three of them sat there, huddled in the rain, staring after Kiyomi dully.

Minutes later, Daichi came crashing through the trees.

"I heard shouting!" he panted. "Is everything alright?" He took in the sight of the three women on the ground.

"No, it's not, but you needn't worry," Ayano replied, voice and eyes dead.

"Where's the other girl?" Daichi asked, looking around for the missing member of his escort. "Kiyomi, was it?

"Gone," Sayuri choked out, and for the first time in years, she doubled over sobbing.

Because the truth was, it was her fault.


	28. Loyalty

**Truth: He would never leave her.**

Silence.

The day before they had walked with Miyako chatting happily with Daichi about his experimental jutsu. Now he was silent and uncomfortable in the oppressive pall of grief that his guards were giving off. He walked fast, just wanting to get away from them and back to his work. He'd never seen people to distraught.

Miyako stumbled along the road with tears rolling down her face. Every now and then she would sob, but otherwise she was silent. She'd lost her father and one of her best friends in the span of a season, and both losses were tearing into her heart painfully, clawing her open and making her grieve more than she ever had before.

Ayano was wallowing in self-loathing. She kept flashing back to the three dead genin at her feet, dead because she pushed them into something they weren't ready for. Once again, she'd pushed Kiyomi, hoping to drive her on to bigger and better things, and it had ended with her going mad with jealousy, attacking her fellow teammate, and then fleeing Konoha. Again she had cost the village a shinobi full of potential.

Sayuri was torn between rage and guilt. Kiyomi had left because of her, because she was constantly compared unfavorably to her. If she hadn't tried so hard, if she hadn't tried to help Kiyomi, which she apparently took as disdain… But then again, Kiyomi had tried to _kill _her, and there came the rage. How _dare_ Kiyomi attack her like that, drugging their team members purely for a shot at her?

Daichi arrived at his destination and stood on his friend's doorstep. His research partner opened the door to let him in and Daichi turned back to thank his escorts, but they were already gone.

* * *

Kiyomi didn't know what happened. After the fight with Sayuri, everything was a blur. She wasn't honestly sure what had happened. Pain, blood loss, and emotion made for very hazy memories, and, she was fairly sure, some delusions.

She vaguely thought she remembered her sister's face, silver hair swept back into her usual bun, looking down at her sadly. She even heard Aiko's voice.

Then she had passed out, collapsing into blackness. All she knew was there had to have been someone, because when she woke next she was completely healed and a clean robe was tucked under her head as a pillow.

Kiyomi wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she had taken the clothes and pulled them on before sprinting full-tilt back towards Konoha. If she was going to get away she needed to get her things and go before her team returned and told anyone about her abandonment.

She walked in the gate like it was nothing and the guards only glanced up for a moment to verify her before going back to their game of cards. She let out a breath of air and took to the treetops, heading back to her family's compound.

There was a certain vindictive pleasure in doing exactly what Aiko had done, in gathering all of her things into a bag and simply vanishing. She didn't even leave a note for her parents, just left the open wardrobe door wide and the bed neatly made.

She was almost ready to leave the compound, grateful it was empty, when her eyes caught on Aiko's door and she recalled her fevered delusion.

"_Oh Kiki, what have you done to yourself?"_

Kiki was a hated nickname Aiko had always used, despite Kiyomi's protests. Still, something made Kiyomi open the door and step inside, saying a last goodbye to her sister. Her eyes swept the room callously, forcing herself not to feel anything. Her eyes landed on the paper left on Aiko's desk from her last visit. With barely a thought, Kiyomi snatched it up and crammed it into her bag before turning and running from the house.

* * *

"Hey Lily-Girl!" Kotetsu greeted jovially as a ragged Team 9 staggered into the village. He and Izumo looked them over, friendly smiles falling.

"What happened to you?" Izumo asked. His eyes widened as he noticed one of their members missing. "Kiyomi?" he asked hesitantly, a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Gone," Ayano said hollowly. Izumo and Kotetsu both hung their heads in respect.

"She's not dead," Sayuri snapped at them, knowing what they were thinking. They looked at her in confusion.

"But if she's not dead, then what-"

"She abandoned us," Miyako said softly. Izumo and Kotetsu turned to her, startled by the pain in her voice. She looked back with watery eyes. "She tried to kill Sayuri and then she ran after she lost."

Kotetsu cursed under his breath and Izumo paled.

"Suppose you could say she pulled an Uchiha, eh boys?" Ayano said with a pathetic attempt at a laugh. "Kakashi's brat started a trend."

"Don't," Izumo cut her off sharply. "Don't hide behind your jokes, Ayano."

Ayano shook her head helplessly and gave him a weak smile. They'd gone on missions together, missions where they lost men. He was familiar with her defense mechanisms and so was Kotetsu.

"If I don't I'm gonna burst into tears, and no one wants to see that."

Izumo and Kotetsu were silent, looking over the destroyed remains of a team in front of them.

"Someone's going to have to tell Lady Tsunade," Kotetsu mused quietly. Izumo smacked him for his insensitivity.

"I'll make the report," Ayano said wearily. "You two… just go home."

Without another word, the three turned in different directions and headed off. Sayuri was barely holding herself together as she walked down familiar streets, remembering when she'd done so with a team that would never be whole again. She reached her door with tears balanced on the edge of her eyelids.

Kimimaro opened the door. He took one look at her and his face locked into a mask.

"What happened?"

Sayuri proved to herself what a mess she was. It took two words from Kimimaro and she lost it. She collapsed with a howl of grief. His eyes widened in shock and he caught her, drawing her into his chest, but her legs wouldn't support her.

"What the hell-"

Satoru burst into the room from down the hall. His eyes widened as he saw Sayuri folded into Kimimaro's arms, sobbing into his shirt hysterically. Kimimaro looked up at Satoru helplessly.

"Go to Ayano," he advised. Satoru hesitated, looking at Sayuri, torn between his surrogate daughter and the woman he loved.

"Ayano has no one. She has me," Kimimaro said, and Satoru submitted to his logic. He took off like a shot towards Ayano's apartment, frantic to find out what had the usually sedate Sayuri screaming and crying into Kimiamro's chest.

Kimimaro swung her into his arms, lifting her bridal style. He carried her to the couch and laid her down, unsure of what to do. Sayuri understood his hesitation, and directed him.

"H-Hold m-m-me."

Kimimaro was surprised by the request. She was not by any means averse to touch; in fact, knowing how much he craved the touch he'd been denied as a child she frequently touched him casually as they spoke, or allowed him to touch her. However, he'd always thought that had always been for his benefit, not hers.

Kimimaro lifted her once more. He sat down on the couch, leaning back against the arm, and placed her between his legs, drawing her back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her stomach. She sobbed harder as he hugged her close, gripping his wrist tightly with one hand. She twisted, burying her face in his arm as she sobbed.

"What happened?" Kimimaro asked quietly, at a loss for what could have her this torn up.

"Kiyomi… sh-she… _l-l-left_!" Sayuri sobbed into his sleeve. "She tried to k-k-kill m-me and then _sh-she l-left!" _

Kimimaro's grip on her arms tightened protectively. "She did _what?"_

Around her sobs, Sayuri managed to get the story out, including all of her emotions and thoughts during their fight. She poured her heart out to Kimimaro and cried her eyes out into his shirt. He held her the whole time, and it was heaven. She finally understood his affinity for touch. With Kiyomi's abandonment stinging, there was a perfect kind of comfort to be found in a solid assurance that someone was there with you.

"I won't leave again," Kimimaro whispered into her ear. "I will not do this to you."

Sayuri knew he wasn't lying. He would never leave her.

* * *

"Kimimaro. This is a surprise," Tsunade said, looking over her interlaced fingers at the Kaguya standing before her desk. She restrained a shudder. There was something really creepy about this kid, with his kekkei genkai and his blank face, almost like a bone mask. "You're not due to see me for evaluation for another few weeks. What's this about?"

"I wish to join Konoha."

Tsunade sat up sharply. "I'm sorry, run that by me again?" she asked, not sure she'd heard correctly. Sure, the kid had given them info on Orochimaru, but he hadn't even expressed any loyalty beyond that.

"I wish to join Konoha."

Tsunade sat back in her chair, fingering a cup of sake sitting on her desk. "And what brought this on?"

Kimimaro tilted his head, as if saying it was obvious. Tsunade raised an eyebrow in a way that clearly read 'humor me.' She'd been Orohimaru's teammate, she could do silent communication. Besides, she had a very good idea what this was about. It had only been a day since Ayano had staggered into her study and requested a drink in exchange for her report.

"Sayuri has been betrayed by a member of her team," Kimimaro began. "I wish to ensure she will always have a teammate she can rely on."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow. "Really? That's it?"

Kimimaro's eyes narrowed. "Is that not enough?"

Tsunade leaned forwards. "You want me to make you a member of this Hidden Village… because your cousin is having a rough time?"

"We don't know how we're related."

Tsunade snorted. "That's not really the main point here, Kimimaro. My point is, you're an ex-member of Sound. You used to serve Orochimaru, who's number one on our hit list. You expect me to believe you're doing a complete one-eighty because your cousin – or whatever she is to you – came home crying one day? I'm sorry, but I'm going to need more than that."

Kimimaro's face was blank. "My loyalty is absolute."

Tsunade scoffed. "I think Orochimaru would disagree with that."

"My loyalty is absolute… when deserved," he added.

"Better," Tsunade nodded approvingly. "Now, convince me." She sat back in her chair and took a long sip of sake. Kimimaro didn't look pleased with her blasé attitude. He didn't know she'd already decided. Her shinobi were dropping like flies lately and she desperately needed men. Kimimaro, with his kekkei genkai, was quite a consolation prize. She just wanted to know what his motives were.

"I have one person in this world," Kimimaro began. "I have one person who gave me a purpose not for their own goals. Sayuri asks only that I do not abandon her, and in exchange she tries to ensure I enjoy my life as I wasn't able to when we were young. I owe her my present freedom, my present pleasure, and my present opportunities. Everything I have now, I owe to her. I want to show her, prove to her, that I will not leave her."

Tsunade was surprised. This kind of devotion was rare to find, and almost scary in its intensity. She remembered seeing the fire in Kimimaro's eyes once burning in Dan's as he spoke of all that Konoha could be and her heart softened.

"Come here," Tsunade said, tapping the top of her desk. Kimimaro advanced and she snapped her fingers. "Wrists." He offered them to her and with a quick series of hand signs the cuffs that had been restraining his chakra fell away, clattering onto Tsunade's desk. Were Kimimaro a more demonstrative man, Tsunade suspected he would have been grinning like a loon. As it was, he only examined his wrists with a pleased gleam in his eyes.

"Is this an acceptance of my service?"

In answer, Tsunade reached into a desk drawer and plucked out a brand new hitai-ate with the Konoha leaf on it, tossing it towards him. Kimimaro caught it deftly.

"Betray us, and it means an execution," she warned.

"I understand," he nodded, looking down at the hitai-ate in his hand as if he couldn't quite believe he was really holding it.

"You're in luck," Tsunade grinned, leaning back and propping her feet on her desk, sipping sake like the cat that caught the canary. "We happen to have a team missing one member. How would you feel about joining Team 9?"

Kimimaro's hand closed around the hitai-ate tightly. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Sayuri was surprised when she opened her door to see Naruto standing on the stoop.

"Naruto?"

"Hey Sayuri," Naruto greeted, somewhat unsurely. They were friendly, but they didn't talk all that much, even less since they'd left the Academy and no longer saw each other every day. "Can I… come in?"

Sayuri nodded wordlessly and held the door wider. Naruto stepped inside and looked around. "Heh, nice place you got."

"Thank you."

Sayuri shut the door and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you want?" she asked.

Naruto blinked. Sayuri had never been this downright unfriendly to him before. In fact, she wasn't like this with anyone unless they'd really pissed her off.

"I guess I just wanted to tell you that… I get it."

"Get what?"

Naruto stared at her hard, not sure if she was playing dumb on purpose. The way her jaw was clenched made him think she knew exactly what he was talking about. "You're not the first person to have a teammate turn on them."

Sayuri paled slightly, but said nothing as she moved to the couch, sitting down.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Naruto said with a weak laugh. "At least Kiyomi didn't run off and join Orochimaru."

"For all we know." Sayuri ruffled her hair in agitation. "No offense Naruto, but I'm really not in the mood for company."

Naruto winced, collapsing onto the couch beside her, groaning. "This really isn't going well! I had this all planned in my head, where I came in and said exactly the right thing and you felt better afterwards, and it would be really great-"

"You… came to try and cheer me up?" Sayuri asked in surprise. They'd never been close. She assumed that he, like many others when they heard the news, would merely note how unfortunate it was and then move on with their day.

Naruto shrugged, hand ruffling the back of his hair. "I mean, I guess I get it better than I lot of people… Maybe cheer up isn't the best way to put it, because I know you're not going to cheer up. I just wanted you to know it's not the end of the world. You just need a goal."

"A goal?" Sayuri repeated skeptically. "And what sort of goal would that be?"

"Bring her back."

Sayuri blinked. "Pardon?"

"Bring her back," Naruto repeated firmly. "Show her how much you miss her, drag her butt back here if you have to. Don't let her go."

"She tried to kill me!" Sayuri snapped.

"Sasuke tried to kill me," Naruto shrugged. "But that's just an excuse, isn't it? For a while, I tried to convince myself I hated him."

"But that doesn't work, does it?"

Naruto grinned slightly and glanced sideways at Sayuri. "No, it doesn't."

"Bring her back," Sayuri mused. "Do I have the right? If this is her choice?"

"I think considering you're supposedly the reason she left, you have more right than most," Naruto pointed out.

Sayuri buried her head in her hands and let out a gusty sigh. "Naruto, people give you a hard time… but I'm pretty sure you're the best person I've ever met."

Naruto blinked at her, startled. "What… really?"

"You have so much compassion… it's really quite impressive."

"Hey, thanks!" Naruto grinned, slapping her shoulder heartily.

The door opened and Kimimaro stepped inside. He paused at the sight of Sayuri on the couch, face buried in her hands, Naruto's hand on her shoulder. "Naruto Uzumaki," he greeted slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was… just going," Naruto replied, tugging his hand back when he saw the way Kimimaro was eyeing it. He looked back to Sayuri, who pulled her face out of her hands and smiled slightly.

"Thank you Naruto. I do feel a bit better," she admitted.

"Believe it!" Naruto cheered, before heading for the door. "See ya Kimimaro!" he waved jovially as he left.

"What did he say that has you so uplifted?" Kimimaro asked, seating himself beside her. Sayuri leaned against his chest, absently trailing her fingertips along the edge of his collar and feeling the texture.

"He just reminded me of some things," Sayuri said. "And he pointed out something very obvious that I missed."

"What's that?"

"That I may have driven her away… but I can also bring her back."

"And until you do, your team will not be empty."

Sayuri pulled away from him, looking back in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I spoke to Lady Tsunade a week ago, right after it happened," Kimimaro explained. Somewhat guiltily, he reached into his shirt and plucked out a Konoha hitai-ate, the engraved leaf gleaming. Sayuri's fingers traced the shape, her eyes going wide.

"Tsunade-"

"She has made me one of Konoha's own, and placed me on your team," Kimimaro confirmed. "I will be by your side."

Sayuri's eyes went from the headband to Kimimaro's face. There was a moment of silence and then she burst into tears, lunging at the startled Kimimaro and wrapping her arms around his shoulder. She peppered his face with wet kisses as she cried.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're…. welcome?"

* * *

Sakura's mission was Miyako. She figured that her softer touch would probably go over better with the quiet girl than Naruto's boisterous attitude. She made her way to the Hasekura compound and found the gate open. Melancholy still lingered in the air around the whole place and Sakura winced as she stepped inside.

_This place feels so sad!_

"You're Sakura Haruno, right?"

Sakura spun around and saw Akane Hasekura standing on a porch on the other side of the street.

"Yeah, that's me," she confirmed. "You're Akane. We met at the fireworks."

Akane smirked slightly. "'Met' is a strong word. Let's go with 'became aware of each other's existence.'"

Sakura smiled slightly in response. Akane nodded towards the large house at the end of the main street. "If you're looking for Miyako, she'll be in there. She barely comes out these days. Kiyomi on top of her dad," Akane shook her head. "Aiko would _kill_ Kiyomi for that."

Sakura scowled slightly in confusion. "Who's Aiko?"

"Kiyomi's older sister."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't know she had siblings! She never mentioned it."

Akane's eyes were sad. "For good reason. Her sister ran off, a couple months before the Uchiha massacre happened. No one knows where she ended up. Aiko was a civilian, but she and I were pretty close before she left."

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized. Akane waved a hand dismissively.

"All in the past, don't worry about it. Anyway, like I said, Miyako will be in there. I have a shift at the hospital to get to."

"Thank you," Sakura said, scurrying off towards the main house as Akane strolled leisurely for the gate. Sakura reached the door and knocked. She waited for a response, but none came. As she raised a hand to knock again, she finally heard shuffling on the other side. The door opened, revealing a haggard Miyako.

"Sakura," she greeted in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I… wanted to talk," Sakura explained awkwardly. Miyako cocked her head questioningly, but stepped aside and beckoned her in. Sakura followed her down a hall and into a small sitting room with two mats on opposite sides of a table. They sat down and Sakura looked around uncomfortably.

"What did you want to talk about?" Miyako asked.

Sakura winced. "I wanted to talk… about Kiyomi."

Miyako's expression tightened. "Did you now?" Her tone was warning and something Sakura didn't expect to come out of Miyako. But Sakura wasn't backing down.

"Yes," she nodded. "I wanted you to know… I get it."

Miyako smiled wearily. "Yes, I'm sure you do."

Sakura continued, "When Sasuke left," her voice trembled, "I kept thinking… what did I do wrong? Could I have stopped him? Did he ever really care about us? And then I saw what he did to Naruto, and it was so scary, to think he was capable of something like that… But it wasn't my fault," she forced herself to say, though she only half believed that. "Just like it wasn't your fault Kiyomi left."

Miyako braced her elbows on the table and buried her head in her hands. "Sakura, you're not telling me anything I don't already know."

"But there's a difference between knowing it an accepting it, isn't there?"

Miyako looked up sharply. This time her smile was real, even if it was melancholy. "Yes, there is. I keep feeling like… I should have seen this coming. I should have said or done something, even though I know it all came down to Kiyomi and her decisions. But for some reason… I can't force myself to accept that."

"Because it means we were completely powerless," Sakura nodded.

"Exactly. And I… I lead my clan. I can keep people from bleeding out even if we're miles from medical care. I can turn someone's body against them and put them under my control, like a puppet. I can vaporize someone with a touch. But I couldn't…I couldn't keep my team together."

"I guess what helps me the most," Sakura said slowly, "is knowing that… I wasn't really the cause. It was between Sasuke and Naruto. I don't hate Naruto for that, I don't, it just helps me to know that even if I couldn't stop him… at least I didn't push him away faster."

Miyako looked thoughtful. "That's… an interesting way to think about it. I… Thank you Sakura. You're right, that does help."

Sakura smiled sweetly. "No problem, Miyako."

* * *

Ayano was shaking. Miyako and Sayuri exchanged worried looks as they beheld their teacher. Kimimaro wasn't there. In fact, she'd insisted he stay home from today's training session, and since they'd arrived several minutes ago, she'd done nothing but stare into the distance vaguely.

"Ayano?" Miyako asked unsurely.

"Your word," Ayano blurted, jerking out of her stupor.

"Our word…?" Sayuri repeated, confused.

"I want your word, right now, that you'll only ever use what I'm about to teach you against Kiyomi."

Miyako and Sayuri were even more concerned now. They realized they'd been incredibly selfish, caught up in their own grief and not considering that Ayano had lost a student, how hard it must have been for her to see her own prized technique used by one student against another.

"You have it," Sayuri assured her.

"We swear," Miyako agreed.

Ayano nodded absently. "That's…. Right, that's good. So here it goes. Kiyomi turned my lightning technique against you… And I'm not going to let her get away with that."

Sayuri's eyes widened. "Ayano, you can't mean to-"

"I do," Ayano nodded. "I'm leveling the playing field. Kiyomi is not going to turn anything she learned from me against the two of you. She won't have any advantages from me. I'm not going to let her…" Ayano paused her rambling and stiffened, locking her hands together behind her back. "I'm going to teach you my lightning technique, on the condition that you never use it against anyone except Kiyomi. I don't want this getting around. I don't want old students crawling out of the woodwork begging me to teach them and pointing out that I taught you three. I'm teaching you this only so that the next time you face Kiyomi… you can bring her back."

Miyako and Sayuri nodded, each of them mirroring Ayano's stiff posture.

"What do we have to do?" Miyako asked determinedly.


	29. Teaching

**Truth: She could see herself enjoying teaching.**

Chunin exams came and went once more, and Sayuri, Kimimaro, and Miyako both advanced, proudly donning flak jackets and joining the ranks of Konoha's chunin. With Kimimaro at their side as the newest member of their team, chakra bracelets gone, they were a force to be reckoned with, and thanks to the newly-brutal training on Ayano's part, they tore through the competition, though they kept their promise and didn't use lightning.

However, despite their rise in rank, they had yet to go on a mission since Kiyomi left months before. They did little things around the village, D-rank missions that any Academy student could have accomplished, but they hadn't actually left the village to accomplish anything.

And Tsunade wasn't amused.

"I get that it hurts to have your teammate betray you," Tsunade snapped. "But this is ridiculous! It's been months, and in that time you've done nothing but weed gardens and carry groceries. You're _chunin_, what's wrong with you?"

"I don't know," Miyako admitted. "I suppose we're still grieving."

"Fine, but grieve _productively!_" Tsunade snapped. "We have Orochimaru to look out for and we need all hands on deck to make money for the village! Kimimaro, I assumed you'd have the most to say about this, considering you're used to staying active." Tsuande was almost desperate as she turned on the elder Kaguya.

"I will not force them to do something they don't want to," Kimimaro replied calmly. "I haven't the right."

Tsunade groaned. "Am I going to have to make you three to go out on missions? Because if that's what it takes, I will personally… send Shizune to hand you missions! You're a powerful team, and you need to do your part, damn it! In fact…" Tsunade smiled widely and the three chunin shifted uncomfortably. Anyone who'd dealt with the Hokage even a little knew to be wary of that smile.

"You know," Tsunade said, leaning back in her chair and tapping a stack of files. "I was looking through some of your old missions and Ayano mentioned you two teaching a few basic moves to some children. She commented that you would make good teachers at the Academy or maybe even jonin team leaders later on."

"You want us to _teach?_" Sayuri asked incredulously.

"That was only a small scale, not a whole classroom!" Miyako protested worriedly. "I don't know if we can-"

"You won't be teaching little Academy brats how to throw a decent punch," Tsunade grunted. "Or actually, you might, depending on how it goes."

"How it goes?" Kimimaro repeated.

"What are you planning on sending us to do, Lady Hokage?" Sayuri asked warily.

"I recently got a letter from Suna," Tsunade said, lifting said letter up to illustrate. "Seems they've started an Academy similar to ours. The problem is, the only teachers they have are the Sand Siblings, and they can't teach children with kekkei genkai. None of them have one and don't feel comfortable doing it."

"And we all have a kekkei genkai," Miyako realized. "You want to send us to Suna, Lady Hokage?"

"Why not?" Tsunade challenged. "Suna's offered to pay Konoha well for your services, and you all aren't doing anything productive here. Besides, I hear you get along well with the Sand Siblings. I don't see a down side."

Sayuri glanced sideways at Kimimaro, then at Miyako. "But all of our kekkei genkai are… somewhat distasteful. Bones and blood…"

"So? Show those little Suna kids what kind of people they'll come up against," Tsuande countered. She was wearing an expression that clearly said they weren't going to win this fight, so they surrendered.

"When do we leave?" Miyako sighed.

"Does tomorrow work for you?"

* * *

Ayano and Satoru were there to see them off, as was Akane, when Miyako, Kimimaro, and Sayuri met at the gate the next morning at dawn, heavy bags thrown over their shoulders. They didn't know quite how long they would be staying, but it definitely wasn't a short-term mission. The extra weight slowed them down as they ran, but they still arrived at Suna in decent time, and with no trouble.

"It's been a while," Kankuro greeted them at the gate into Suna, staring at the road-worn Konoha shinobi in front of him. "Nice to see you guys."

"Miyako, Sayuri," Temari greeted the girls. Her eyes drifted to Kimimaro, who simply stared at the Sand Siblings blandly. "And who's this?" she asked, a slight purr in her voice that made Sayuri raise an eyebrow and Miyako blink.

"Kimimaro Kaguya," Sayuri explained, but she was still giving Temari a strange look. One that could actually be seen, as she'd taken to wearing her hitai-ate around her forehead like normal. She'd also taken to wearing her hair like Kimimaro, held in red bands, much to his flattery. "This is Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. They are the Kazekage's children."

Kimimaro nodded, remaining silent. He assumed it was best not to mention that he had helped assassinate their father.

"I'm glad you arrived when you did," Kankuro said as they walked through the high cliffs towards the city proper. "Classes start in two days. You'll have a day to relax and explore the city before you get started."

"You'll be teaching the kekkei genkai students," Temari explained. "We can't spare any of our shinobi to teach right now."

"How many students is that?" Miyako asked.

"About five. You'll each have only one or two students."

"So few," Sayuri noted. "Why not just ask for one person?"

"We requested a whole team, so that they could have focused training," Kankuro explained, jumping in. "We figured that was better, and we have the accommodations. Three apartments have been made available for your use while you're here."

"We only need two," Miyako pointed out. "Really, don't go giving us too much!"

"I don't mind sharing with either of them," Sayuri assured them.

"Alright," Kankuro nodded. "That makes it easier, since, honestly, one of the rooms wasn't ready yet," he admitted sheepishly.

"So Kimimaro, when did you join their team?" Temari asked, falling back to speak to the Kaguya, who looked vaguely surprised she was addressing him.

"A few months ago," he said slowly.

Miyako and Kankuro began talking about lessons and Gaara drifted towards Sayuri.

"Hello," he greeted quietly. Sayuri turned and smiled at him.

"Hello Gaara. It's nice to see you again."

Gaara shifted awkwardly. He wasn't good at small talk. "Thank you for coming to help us."

"It's not a problem," Sayuri assured him. "We weren't doing anything in Konoha anyway."

"Why not?"

"Say, now that I think about it, where's that other girl, Kiyomi?" Kankuro asked. The reaction was immediate. Team 9 stopped walking. Kimimaro closed his eyes, bracing for the explosion. Miyako slumped sadly and Sayuri straightened, eyes blazing.

"That would be why," Sayuri muttered.

"Kiyomi's gone," Miyako said quietly. Temari's eyes widened and she exchanged looks with Kankuro.

"I'm sorry," she said. "We're shinobi, it's a dangerous-"

"She's alive," Sayuri bit out.

Now Kankuro was confused. "Then what-"

"She drugged Ayano and Miyako, tried to kill me, and when she lost, she ran off," Sayuri said bluntly. "That's all."

"I… see," Kankuro said, looking at Temari worriedly.

"I'm sorry," Gaara murmured to Sayuri as they started walking again.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. It was mine."

* * *

The next day the Konoha team spent relaxing and recovering from their long run. Sayuri ended up sharing an apartment with Kimimaro, with Miyako right next door to them. They toured a few parts of the city and sampled the local cuisine before returning to their rooms for the night.

The next morning they were up bright and early. Sayuri made breakfast for all of them. They dressed, ate, and followed Kankuro's directions to the outdoor area where training would begin for the Suna students.

The students were startled to see the leaf of Konoha glinting on their hitai-ate when they entered the arena, and a buzz of conversation went up as they joined the Sand siblings by three tables strewn with weapons.

"We'll start out having them choose weapons," Kankuro explained quietly. It was a few minutes before the classes were supposed to start, and there were still a few stragglers making their way in. "Then they'll select one of us to be their teacher. I'll point you three out to the students with kekkei genkai. You'll be responsible for training them in weapons. That's alright, I hope?"

"Not a problem," Miyako assured him.

Sayuri winced, cheeks reddening slightly. "There are a few weapons… that I can't… With my eyes…"

"That's fine, if it's necessary, one of us can take over helping them master their weapons," Temari assured her, and she relaxed slightly.

"I'm… sorry to make trouble," she apologized, cursing her blindness. While she could use her sensing abilities to figure out where a person was, certain weapons made it difficult for her to maneuver and detect the movements of.

"Really, its fine," Kankuro assured her. Kimimaro's fingers trailed down her arm lightly and Sayuri's tenseness faded. She responded with a nudge of his hand with her own, giving the Sand Siblings their first glimpse of their curiously tactile relationship.

"It's time," Gaara said, glancing up at the sun.

"Alright, fall in!" Temari ordered, voice booming around the area. The students looked up and scrambled into six rows three deep. The instructors spread out behind Temari, the student's eyes flicking between each individual curiously.

"Before you begin combat training, you must first choose a weapon that suits you physically and mentally," Temari announced. A skinny girl with mousy brown hair raised her hand hesitantly. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry," the girl said quietly. "But is it absolutely necessary that we all choose a weapon?"

Temari blinked and Kankuro spoke up. "Why do you ask?"

"If all of us have weapons, there's a chance we'll end up hurting each other. Some of us could get killed," the girl pointed out.

To everyone's surprise, it was Gaara that spoke up. "Your weapon is like-" he trailed off when he noticed everyone was staring at him, most of the children's eyes showing fear and mistrust. "Forget it, it's not important."

Kankuro and Temari exchanged glances before she continued. "This isn't a game you're playing."

"If you went into battle like that, you wouldn't survive," Kankuro rebuked.

"I'm sorry," the girl murmured. The boy behind her leaned forwards and hissed something and she lifted her shoulders defensively.

"Rest assured, we six are all trained, and more than capable of preventing any accidents," Miyako added with an encouraging smile. "And on the off chance there is one, I'm a trained med-nin. I can patch up anything."

"For your combat training, you'll be working in a group with one of us," Kankuro announced. "You may choose which one of us you want to work with. However, if you have a kekkei genkai, you'll be working with one of our guests from Konoha."

Another hand hit the air, a boy with black hair flopping over one of his dark eyes. "Who are they?" he asked blandly, as if he didn't really care.

"Dear kami, its Suna Sasuke," Miyako murmured under her breath. Sayuri's lips quirked slightly.

"You guys wanna introduce yourselves?" Kankuro asked. "Maybe explain your kekkei genkai?"

"I'm Miyako Hasekura," Miyako immediately spoke up. "I lead my clan and our kekkei genkai is called Saiketsu." She bit her thumb as if she were about to use a Summon and held it up. Blood flowed from the cut into the air, spiraling into intricate whirls. A few of the students murmured, impressed. Miyako pulled the blood back into her body and popped her thumb into her mouth to wait for it to stop bleeding.

"My name is Sayuri Kaguya," Sayuri said, lifting a palm. "My kekkei genkai is called Shikotsumyaku." A few mouths moved, tripping over the word. "It allows me to freely manipulate my skeletal structure through my osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The adult human has two hundred and six bones in the body, but in my case, that number is a bit more negotiable."

Sayuri raised a hand, palm out, and let a bone protrude from her palm, the sharp point gleaming in the sun. As she retracted it, more people started muttering, this time in disgust.

"I am Kimimaro Kaguya," Kimimaro said dispassionately. "My kekkei genkai is the same."

"Alright, pick a teacher!" Temari ordered. There were a few moments of shuffling as students jostled, murmuring about each teacher's fine points, and made their way towards their choice. In the end, Temari and Kankuro each had about a half dozen students. Miyako had two, and so did Sayuri, while Gaara and Kimimaro had a single student at their sides.

"Begin," Temari nodded.

The children drifted off towards the tables, selecting their weapons. The swords, spears, and more interesting weapons were immediately snapped up by boys eager to show off and girls looking for pretty weapons. The kekkei genkai students made their decisions and returned to their masters.

"Right." Sayuri turned to face the two children in front of her, a pair of girls. "Names. Kekkei genkai and explanations. Go."

"My name's Mayumi Ki," said the first one. "I've got an Acid Release. It's pretty much what it sounds like. I can spit acid."

"And how potent is it?"

"It can corrode metal... If you give it a second."

"And what weapon did you choose?"

"Tanto."

"Hmm," Sayuri mused, already planning training exercises. She turned to the other girl. "And you?"

"My name is Atami Taiyohono. My kekkei genkai is Seishingenzai no Toiawase. I am able to leave my body to survey the water for five miles around me. It only works when standing on water and it leaves me vulnerable. It's utterly useless in the desert."

Sayuri raised an eyebrow at the girl's tone. It was dispassionate and uncaring and she described her own uselessness and she found it oddly reminiscent of herself when she was young.

"And what weapon did you choose, Atami?"

"Choytanken."

Sayuri nodded. "Butterfly knives. And where are you from?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Your kekkei genkai is useless in this environment, just like you said. It's unlikely it developed here. It would be of most use in an ocean. You're from the Land of Water, aren't you?"

Atami nodded. "I am."

"I suspect your family fled here after the civil wars then, seeking protection from the prejudice against those who had kekkei genkai. Am I right again?"

Atami's fists clenched. "You are. But how-?"

"Did I know about the political climate of the Land of Water? I was born there as well. I didn't expect to find someone like you in Suna of all places."

Sayuri reached out and grabbed Mayumi's face between her palms. The girl blinked and flushed.

"Uh… sensei? What are you doing?"

"Getting a look at you," Sayuri replied absently as she traced her features. "Tell me about your coloring and clothing please. You too, Atami."

In the end, Sayuri had a decent enough idea of her students appearances to form a basic picture in her mind. Mayumi had slanted midnight black eyes and long, straight gray hair that reached just above her thighs. Her bangs covered her eyes. She wore a sleeveless blue v-neck shirt with mesh armor underneath and blue shorts and sandals. She also wore a hip pouch and spiked shoulder and elbow pads.

Atami had big, dark blue eyes and slightly spiky, shoulder-length black hair. She was tanned, but several scars left stripes of paler skin over her. Her clothing consisted of a sleeveless ankle-length white vest over a black tank top, and black hakamas. Her hitai-ate was worn on her left arm and she also had a pair of geta backed with metal.

Sayuri nodded approvingly. Truthfully, she could see herself enjoying teaching.

"Weird," muttered Miyako's male student, watching as Sayuri mapped her student's faces. "She always that touchy?"

"Oh no!" Miyako chuckled. "But she likes to know how people look, and they're her students, so I supposed she feels sufficiently in charge enough to go ahead and fill in the details. So, tell me about yourself. What's your kekkei genkai?" she asked interestedly.

"Gidayu Kijimuta is the name!" he grinned, and bowed deeply to her. "Yūji no futan is the game! I have bear senses, and I can summon a bear!"

"Impossible," Miyako said abruptly, face going slack. Her female student spoke up hesitantly.

"Uhm… I've actually seen him do it before, sensei. He really can…"

"I personally know who holds the Summoning scroll for bears and she's not sharing that talent any time soon," Miyako explained.

"Well," Gidayu said, fidgeting uncomfortably. "It's not that I can strictly speaking _Summon_ them… More that they like me enough to come if I ask nicely. See, I was kind of… raised by them."

"Raised by- But it's so rare for a summon to interact with people they don't have a contract with!" Miyako exclaimed, startled. "That's… interesting," she said, reigning herself in.

"Er, thanks," Gidayu said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well… moving on," Miyako said, blushing as she got back on track. "What weapon did you choose?"

"Shuko," Gidayu said, holding up the straps that would go around his hand, holding the claws in place on his knuckles.

"Not a common choice, but I suppose it makes sense," Miyako mused. "And you are?" she asked kindly, turning to her female student.

"My name is Harumi Kazeno," the girl spoke up. "My kekkei genkai is Kazerokugan. It can use the wind to create wings that can send out blades or be used as a shield."

"Ooh, that's intriguing," Miyako mused, mentally planning out exercises to increase the strength of said wings as a shield or to increase he accuracy. "Can you fly?"

"For a few seconds," Harumi said, flushing.

"We'll work on that too," Miyako mused. "So, what weapon did you go with?"

Harumi held up a tessen, the edge of the war fan glinting with razor-sharp metal. Miyako nodded approvingly.

"That'll be useful for helping to manipulate wind jutsu as well." She examined her two students carefully.

Gidayu had bronze skin, light brown eyes, and short, picky dark purple hair that was slightly matted. He was startlingly tall. He wore a high-collared dark purple shirt with a chain draped over his left shoulder. Black baggy pants, not unlike her own, and sandals covered his legs and feet. Overall, he was an imposing character.

Harumi was almost the exact opposite. She was as tanned as most Suna residents, and wore a sleeveless shirt in green, but she was at most five feet tall. Gidayu towered over her. She had brown eyes, shoulder length dark brown hair, and wore glasses.

Meanwhile, Kimimaro was standing across from his student, the two of them staring each other down passively.

Kimimaro's student had tan skin, lilac eyes and curly brown hair. His round eyes, small nose and pointed chin gave his face the appearance of a triangle. He was taller than Kimimaro himself, and wore what seemed to be a hoodless purple version of Kankuro's body suit.

"Name, kekkei genkai and an explanation, weapon," Kimimaro ordered.

"Atsumori Kogara, Goishisen, I can increase my eyesight by eating other people's chakra, I chose the katana."

Kimimaro nodded. "Then let us begin."

"Uh, Sayuri? Can you quit feeling up your students please?" Kankuro called awkwardly, causing everyone to turn and look at Atami, whose nose was currently being stroked by Sayuri. Atami stepped back sharply, glaring at anyone who snickered at her.

"I just wanted to know what they look like!" Sayuri called back carelessly.

Kankuro opened his mouth to reply, but was forced to deal with one of his students, whose wild swing with a naginata almost took off the head of one of Temari's students. Kankuro grabbed the shaft of the weapon before any damage would be done and started to rebuke his student. Mayumi laughed at the student's terrified expression as the puppetmaster turned on him. The boy's face went red and he snapped.

"Shut up, Ki, as if you could do better! There's a reason you're last in the class, and it's not laziness!"

Mayumi's face went red with anger and embarrassment as a couple people snickered. Kankuro opened his mouth to teach the brat this place –after all, Kankuro was well known for his hatred of arrogant brats – when he caught sight of Sayuri's expression and he grinned maliciously. He could trust her both not to cross any lines and to put the fear of kami into this kid.

"Sayuri, it's your student he insulted," Kankuro pointed out. "You want to do the honors?"

"Kankuro?" Temari asked cautiously, but Kankuro waved his hands at her, watching interestedly. The whole class was staring as Sayuri crossed to the student who had his head held high and was fighting to stop from shivering. At first she didn't say anything. She just reached towards him, as if she was going to touch his face like she had her students.

Then her hand shot around and gripped the back of his collar. With a little grunt of effort – he had quite a few pounds on her – she heaved him against the wall and pinned his collar there by stabbing a bone from her forearm into the wall. The kid dangled pathetically, kicking and fighting to get free of the bone.

"Don't insult my students," Sayuri said in a deadpan. "I don't care if she can't fight her way out of a paper bag now, I'm here to fix that. If you insult her, you insult me and my teaching ability, and I don't like to be insulted."

She reached up and tugged the bone free, sucking it back into her arm as she turned and walked off.

"Word to the wise," Kankuro added to the kid crumpled on the ground and gaping after Sayuri. "Don't screw with those three. They're serious business and you're not on their level yet."

"Was that strictly necessary?" Miyako rebuked as Sayuri returned to the little corner where the kekkei genkai students were huddled with their teachers.

"No," Sayuri admitted. "But it was amusing."

"I agree," Kimimaro said, looking mildly amused.

Their five students exchanged glances that ranged from amused to incredulous.

"I like 'em!" Gidayu finally concluded.

* * *

The white-haired woman was slumped at a bar frequented by rogue shinobi. Here and there were shinobi who had lines through their hitai-ate, signifying broken ties with their villages. Suna, Kumo, Kusa, Ame, Iwa, Konoha, Kiri… They were all here. It was the most varied and motley gathering of ninja you'd ever seen, but it was by no means peaceful. There was an air of tenseness in the room that came from life as a missing-nin, where one could never let their guard down for fear they would get a knife in the back.

Kiyomi stared blankly at the piece of paper in front of her. Sharingan eyes stared back at her from next to a weasel mask. She'd been staring at it obsessively in past month as she traveled aimlessly, disconsolate and depressed. She'd lost everything, her team, her home… all because of Sayuri. Because Sayuri couldn't let her have this one victory.

"Oi. Wass with th'Uchiha pi'tures?"

"Eh?"

Kiyomi looked up at the guy next to her. He wore a headband with the same leaf as hers, a deep mark through the middle. He was staring blearily at the paper, the empty bottle of sake in front of him showing why he seemed to have trouble focusing.

"Uchiha?" she repeated blankly.

"Yeah," the man nodded sloppily. He tapped the paper. "'tachi Uchiha. 's his sharingan. Saw it when I's in Konoha. Saw th' mask too when I's in ANBU. 's his. So why're you drawin' it?"

"My sister drew it. Aiko Arita."

"Never 'eard of 'er."

"She was a civilian."

The man blinked owlishly. "Then the hell's she doin' drawing 'tachi Uchiha?"

"That's an excellent question," Kiyomi mused, staring at the page with a new intensity. The man shrugged and turned back to the barkeeper, requesting another bottle.

"Itachi Uchiha," she said slowly, staring at the eyes. It made sense. She remembered, very vaguely, as she'd been so young at the time, seeing the boy come into their pottery shop at his mother's side. He'd been polite and kind when Aiko served them and helped his mother pick a plant potter…

Except Aiko shouldn't have been dealing with them. Aiko had always handled kitchenware, since she was the one that made them. It was their aunt that made the gigantic plant potters. A vague memory of Aiko offering to take the sale for their weary aunt crossed her mind. Why would she ask that? The Uchihas were treated with fearful awe by civilians.

There had to be a deeper reason. Aiko had known Itachi as more than just a customer. How else would she have seen his released sharingan? Seen his ANBU mask? They'd known each other very well, Kiyomi would wager. They'd have to, for her drawings to have that much detail. There were no eraser marks, no hesitation, as Aiko flawlessly sketched from memory.

Slowly, a plan began to form. Itachi, brother of Sasuke… The brother Sasuke wanted to kill… If Aiko had been this close to Itachi, then she may know some things about where he was now. And Sasuke would definitely be interested in that. Interested enough to, perhaps, teach her in payment for her information. He was studying under a sannin. Of course, she'd have to wait for that training to end. No way in hell was she walking up to Orochimaru and asking if she could learn from Sasuke.

So, she'd have to bide her time and wait until Sasuke's training was finished. Then she could go to him and make her deal. Then he'd be strong enough to take her to a whole new level, a level Sayuri couldn't possibly reach. All she'd have to do would be to help him find Aiko. She even had a vague idea how to handle that. Ah, but she wasn't even strong enough to take _her_ on as she was now. She would be with an Uchiha at her side though.

And she'd get to see her sister again.

Two birds, one stone.

Kiyomi sat up straighter and threw her hand in the air, a new purpose about her as she tucked the piece of paper safely into her hip pouch, intent on guarding it. It was now her ticket to proving to Sasuke she could do what she said she could, her ticket to becoming strong.

"Next round's on me!" she shouted, to scattered cheers.


	30. Match

**Truth: Sometimes the people you are a perfect match for are the ones you least expect.**

"Can we give you all the disciplinary issues from now on?" Temari asked in amusement. Sayuri smiled slightly and snorted.

"Probably not the best plan. I can only intimidate so many people before it starts to get boring."

"So, do you like your students?" Kankuro asked.

"They all have such interesting kekkei genkai!" Miyako exclaimed. "It'll be challenging to come up with ways to teach them. None of their abilities are very similar to our own."

"What else is there left in the body to manipulate?" Sayuri pointed out.

Temari sidled closer to Kimimaro. "So, how'd you like your first day teaching?" she asked slyly. "Is your student-"

"_Gaara!" _

Kankuro cursed softly as a woman a few feet in front of them waved wildly. She was obviously a kunoichi, going by the hitai-ate on her forehead. Gaara flushed and winced slightly.

"Who's that?" Miyako asked curiously.

"That's Takako Ito," Temari explained. "She's been hitting on Gaara for a couple of months. It's really annoying."

"Hitting…on _Gaara?"_ Miyako repeated faintly.

"And he's too shy to tell her to piss off," Kankuro muttered, nudging Gaara forwards as Takako bounced up to them.

"Hi Gaara!" the girl squealed. "I came to see how teaching went today!"

"It was… fine," Gaara replied slowly, looking incredibly stiff.

"Great!" Takako exclaimed. "I'm sure they learned a lot. I bet you're a _great_ teacher, Gaara."

"I don't… really know."

"I'm sure you are!" Takako insisted. "You're strong and powerful and resourceful and-" She continued rambling, not even pausing to shoot a glare at Kankuro when he made wretching noises.

"Well… With Kiyomi gone, it's been a while since I've had someone to fight with," Sayuri murmured. Miyako glanced at her.

"What are you-?" Temari began.

"Gaara," Sayuri said, striding forwards. Takako cut off her stream of praise with an outraged yelp as Sayuri leaned against Gaara's shoulder, linking her fingers with his. Gaara looked down at her in surprise and she smiled up at him.

"Who's your friend, Gaara?" she asked casually, glancing towards Takako.

"Who're you?" Takako demanded indignantly.

"I'm Sayuri Kaguya. I'm one of the kekkei genkai instructors from Konoha."

"Oh," Takako said, looking a bit pacified. "A _foreigner."_

Sayuri smiled, this time with a bit of bite of it. "That's right." She glanced back up at Gaara, who looked totally lost. "I forgot to ask, were we going to go out for dinner tonight, or do you want to come to my place and I'll cook?"

"We can… go out?" Gaara replied. He understood she was getting him away from Takako. What he couldn't figure out was why.

"Great," Sayuri smiled at him. "I was hoping to sample some of the local cuisine. So, will you pick me up about six?" she asked, pressing gently on his back and steering him away from Takako. The others hustled after them, Miyako smothering laughs while Temari and Kankuro were laughing like idiots. Even Kimimaro was vaguely amused. He wasn't entirely okay as Sayuri leaned up and kissed Gaara's cheek fondly, though, even though Takako's horrified yelp made it clear why she did it.

"That was awesome!" Kankuro grinned, clapping Sayuri on the shoulder. "I think you're my new favorite person!"

"I suppose it's a Kaguya thing, but I quite enjoy fighting with someone every now and then. I thought I should make at least one enemy while I was here," Sayuri shrugged.

Miyako sighed. "You know there are times I really worry about you, Sayuri. That's not normal."

"I completely understand it. If you have no one to challenge you, how will you improve?" Kimimaro disagreed. Miyako blinked at him.

"It really must be a Kaguya thing," she mused.

"Was everyone in your clan as weird as you two?" Temari asked, glancing between Sayuri and Kimimaro.

"We look downright sane compared to the rest of our clan," Sayuri snorted.

"Sayuri…"

"Hmm? Gaara?" she turned to him. He lifted their joined hands.

"You're still holding on to me," he pointed out, not sure whether he wanted her to stop or not. The bones of her hands felt so delicate, but her skin was scarred and calloused. It was an interesting contrast.

"Sorry," Sayuri apologized. "I was using you to keep my balance."

"Oh," Gaara blinked. He hadn't thought about the fact that it was probably a little more difficult for her to walk on sand than on solid earth. "If it helps… you don't have to stop."

"Thank you," she replied, taking his hand again, and now that he was paying closer attention he felt her grip shifting slightly as the sand moved under her feet. "Now I won't run into things as often."

Behind them, Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances.

* * *

Until she could get near Sasuke, all she could do was make herself more appealing as a travelling companion. Why not start with learning swordplay? That was the ono thing Sayuri could do that she couldn't.

Kiyomi knew she was risking a lot going anywhere near Hajime Fujiwara. But she had no other choice. He was the best teacher she had access to, a ronin from the Land of Iron military. No one really knew what he'd done to get kicked out, but he had been, and now he lived on his own near the border of the Land of Waterfalls.

Kiyomi paused outside of the little shack. It didn't look like much. Certainly not the home of the best swordsman outside of the Land of Iron. The roof was tin and the walls were in desperate need of a coat of paint. The fence was run-down with a few crossbars resting on the ground on one end.

"Alright Kiyomi, this is it," she muttered to herself. "You can do this."

Kiyomi walked down the dirt lane towards the little house. There were two artfully-cut bonsai on either side of the two stairs up to the low porch. Kiyomi glanced at them carelessly as she mounted the steps and headed for the door.

"Hajime Fijuwara?" she called, knocking on the door. "I'd like to speak to you."

"You know, I don't often get visitors."

Kiyomi whirled at the voice and saw Hajime coming from around the back of the porch. He leapt lightly up onto the porch, landing with barely a sound. He didn't look like much. His clothes consisted of a worn blue yukata and a pair of geta. Dark eyes glittered from a craggy face. His white hair was swept back into a high topknot with military neatness, his face clean-shaven.

It would be easier to mistake him for a beggar than a swordsman for the average person. Kiyomi wasn't the average person though. She saw the strong arms and muscular shoulders that were ever so slightly different from the build gained through simple heavy lifting. He moved neatly, never the slightest stumble, and he seemed almost to glide from place to place instead of walking.

He was staring her down, but Kiyomi had never let simple nerves get the best of her. She'd made her decision and was sticking to it. That in mind, she placed a hand on her hip and gave the older man a winning grin.

"You must get lonely, then," she commented casually.

"I prefer it that way, actually," he disagreed, stepping forwards and looking her up and down. He raised an eyebrow at her headband. "Well. A rogue ninja. And from Konoha. That's not something you see every day."

"My situation isn't something you see every day," Kiyomi countered.

"And what is your situation?"

"I want to kill someone."

The other eyebrow went up. "Such an ugly goal for such a pretty girl."

Kiyomi refused to be thrown by the compliment. "She's looked down on me for the longest time, she and everyone else. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter and even though I worked I only got critiqued while she got praised. When I tried to kill her, the rest of my team caught me. I didn't have any choice but to flee."

"Hmm. That's not quite true, is it?" Hajime commented, leaning against the side of the house.

"Wh-What?" Kiyomi asked, mildly thrown. "What's not true?"

"You had another choice. It would have possibly ended in death, but you_ did_ have another choice."

"That's not a choice," Kiyomi disagreed. "That's _stupidity."_

"To some. Others would say it was honorable to stay and take your medicine."

"Some would say it was better to finish what you start," Kiyomi said, narrowing her eyes angrily. Hajime chuckled slightly.

"Some would," he allowed. "And you've come here hoping I'll teach you," Hajime said, and it wasn't a question. Kiyomi nodded anyway. Hajime pushed off the house. "And I _will _teach you."

Kiyomi beamed, triumph flooding her. "Thank you so much! You've no idea what this means-"

"Yes I do," Hajime cut her off sharply. "But I want you to understand something before we begin."

"What is it?" Kiyomi asked in confusion.

"I'm not doing this to help you get your revenge. In fact, I think it's rather a pathetic reason for wanting to improve oneself." Kiyomi opened her mouth to protest but he held up a hand and cut her off. "I'm teaching you because I'm hoping some of the discipline will rub off on you. You have talent and potential, that's easy for me to see. And I'd hate for that to go to waste on revenge. There are so much more important things in life."

"Like what?" Kiyomi asked, expecting some proverb that would make her roll her eyes.

Hajime sighed. "The usual. Companionship. Love. Service to others."

"I'd rather just kill Sayuri."

"…We'll work on that."

* * *

"Throw!"

Gidayu hurled the clay disk into the sky, sweating with effort after hours of throwing as hard as he could. Every now and then he'd turn his head and the blindfold over his eyes would tug at his hair painfully, drawing a wince.

"Spin!"

Harumi spun around and feather-shaped darts of air flew from the wind wings draped around her. She hit the very bottom and sent the thing spinning as it plummeted to the ground and shattered against the sand.

"Alright Gidayu, go get it!"

Gidayu trotted forwards, following his nose as he traced the scent of Harumi's chakra through the sand. He stopped and patted at the ground blindly before triumphantly holding up a large chunk of the disk Harumi had just hit.

"Well done!" Miyako congratulated her two students.

This training exercise was one she'd come up with for both of them to work on their abilities simultaneous. Gidayu could run for hours, but his upper body strength was a bit weak. The throwing helped and gave Harumi moving targets for her to fire her feather air bullets at. He then used his nose to find the remains of the disks he threw.

They'd all had to move out of Suna proper for the sake of training. Most of their students' kekkei genkai simply were too large to reasonably practice in the small training area they had. Sayuri had it hardest, finding places to train. Atami's water-based kekkei genkai was hard to work with in the middle of a desert.

Miyako squinted under a hand towards Sayuri, who stood at the edge of the reservoir that provided all of Suna with water. She winced at the startling large pile of bones beside Sayuri that her friend had forced out the night before. Shoulder blades littered the ground. Sayuri had insisted this was the best way, as they were cheaper than finding something else to throw that would be destroyed by Mayumi's acid.

Sayuri's training techniques consisted of tossing one to five bones into the water at a time. Atami would then use her kekkei genkai to search the area around her for the bones. She had to be fast though, because her body couldn't stay afloat while scanning. She would then kick to the surface for a brief gulp of air before diving to retrieve the scattered scapulas.

While Atami dived over and over, Sayuri hurled more bones into the air for Mayumi. It was very much like the training for Harumi. Sayuri would then call out a technique and Mayumi would perform it, trying to hit the flying bone with her acid.

Kimimaro had another large problem with his student. Atsumori's kekkei genkai relied on eating people's chakra to increase his eyesight. Kimimaro was forced to let the kid eat his chakra and then pick out the objects he had set up to three miles out in the desert, moving farther and farther away until they ran out of objects.

"Heads up!" Mayumi shouted as a swirl of sand appeared in the middle of the area being used by the kekkei genkai students. They were all familiar with the sign that Gaara was coming. He appeared at the end of the day to tell them class had ended before vanishing again.

However, this time he'd appeared right in the path of one of Harumi's wind feathers. His sand sprang into action, lunging in front of him. The feather burst against the sand with a screeching of wind before fading.

"I'm so sorry!" Harumi panicked. "I'm so sorry, so sorry! Really, I didn't mean too!"

In the background, Gidayu was howling with laughter as Harumi fretted. Atsumori merely shook his head and said, "rice bowl," the object Kimimaro had just asked him to pick out of the distance. His pupils were blown wide as he turned back to his work. Atami climbed from the water and took the towel Mayumi tossed her, nodding her thanks.

"Harumi, it's alright," Miyako assured her student. "You didn't hurt him, it was just an accident."

"R-Right," Harumi stammered. "But I'm still very sorry. I feel terrible…"

"I'm not hurt," Gaara rasped.

"There, see?" Gidayu said, whipping off his blindfold and slinging an arm around Harumi's shoulder. "It's nothing. You've got to relax!"

"I'd feel bad if I hurt someone!" Harumi said, flushing with annoyance and embarrassment as she pulled out of Gidayu's hold.

"Kankuro sent me to tell you class has ended," Gaara said. "He also wanted me to tell you that we'll be working with weapons tomorrow, so you should all join us at the training grounds."

"Alright," Miyako nodded as Mayumi sent a wind jutsu at Atami, drying her off but leaving her hair sticking out wildly and a glare on her face. Atami opened her mouth angrily. Sayuri sent both of her students sharp looks and they were immediately contrite, although Atami's annoyed glares didn't go away.

"Thanks for telling us, Gaara," Sayuri said, turning around and beginning to gather the leftover bones into a large sheet for transport. Gaara paused when he saw that.

"Are those-?"

"Shoulder blades, nothing critical," Sayuri replied carelessly. "The usual time tomorrow?"

"Yes," Gaara nodded, and vanished in another swirl of sand.

"You're free to go," Miyako said to her students.

"Come on guys, let's go get something cold to drink!" Gidayu suggested loudly. The other students agreed whole-heartedly, having spent the day slaving under the unforgiving sun. "Great! First one there gets free drinks!" he shouted, and took off sprinting. The other students rushed after him, Mayumi protesting loudly as they ran after the speedier boy, leaving their bemused teachers behind.

"And now the long walk back to the apartment," Sayuri sighed, glancing in the general direction of the sun. "This heat…" she shook her head and reached for the water bottle resting not far away in the sand. Her fingers missed it and she scowled slightly, leaning farther. Kimimaro snatched it and passed it to her. She took it gratefully and stroked the back of his hand with her fingers. They'd all taking up drinking more than usual since coming to Suna, and now they went almost everywhere with a water bottle.

"It's not so bad," Miyako disagreed. "I don't mind the heat so much." She examined her hands. "I don't think I've ever been so tan in my life though."

"Good for you," Sayuri sighed, absently brushing her hand over her neck. Her pale skin made it easy for her to get sunburned and she and Kimimaro were both literally feeling the heat.

"Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?" Kimimaro asked, sliding his fingers around Sayuri's wrist and squeezing gently. "You must get tired of cooking for us all the time."

"I don't mind, but I would like to eat out," Sayuri said, placing her free hand on his bicep. "I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to try the local food," she said, referring to the time weeks ago when she'd helped Gaara fend off Takako. "Miyako, are you interested?"

"That sounds good," Miyako approved. "Temari told me about this nice place not far from our apartment. She said she really liked their food."

"We can try it," Sayuri agreed.

"Excuse me, Sayuri Kaguya?"

Sayuri turned, surprised, in the direction of the speaker. Miyako whispered about an average-sized boy with blue eyes and white hair in a short braid over his right shoulder. A Suna hitai-ate decorated his forehead.

"You don't know me," the boy began. "But my name is Haru Natsuhana."

"How do you know me?" Sayuri asked, confused. Besides classes and her apartment, she hadn't been to many places in Suna.

He flushed and gave her a sheepish grin. It reminded Miyako vaguely of Satoru, and she watched in interest. "Well, I've seen you around and I've heard about all the good things you've been doing for the younger kids. I've heard you were nice, and strong, and… Well, you know, you're pretty cute too. I just thought, maybe… you might like to go to dinner with me?" he finished hopefully.

Kimimaro immediately started glaring, a protective instinct rising up in him. He opened his mouth to tell the boy to go away, but Miyako nudged him sharply. He glanced at her and she shook her head vehemently, pointing to Sayuri, who seemed frozen.

Sayuri just blinked at Haru, who shifted uncomfortably. "Uh… is that alright? I mean, you're not attached to anyone, are you?"

"No, no," Sayuri said hastily. "It's just… erm, don't take this the wrong way, but why?"

"Why what?"

"Why in the world are you asking me to dinner?" She was honestly flabbergasted. No boy had ever looked twice at her in Konoha. Many had even actively avoided looking at her the _first_ time once they heard about her kekkei genkai. And now here was a random Suna boy crawling out of the woodwork and asking her out? This… was uncharted territory.

"Well… I like you."

"You don't know me."

"Yeah, but I'd like to."

Sayuri looked at him skeptically, before slowly nodding, as if she was agreeing to some sort of risky procedure. "When and where?"

"There's this great place down there," Haru said, pointing down a road to their right. "End of the road on the left. Tomorrow night?"

"Fine," Sayuri said, nodding again in the same way.

"See you then!" Haru said, grinning like an idiot and waving as he walked off.

* * *

"Alright, weapon work today kids, and maybe, if you do well, our friends from Konoha will show you something special."

Kimimaro, Miyako, and Sayuri turned to Kankuro questioningly.

"I hear you two have Summons," Kankuro said, nodding to Sayuri and Miyako. "Thought you and Temari could show them off?"

Miyako and Sayuri exchanged glances. "Why not?" Miyako shrugged, and nodded.

"Hear that guys?" Temari called to the assembled students. "Do well and you get a show. Now, let's go. We teachers will be circling among you. Take a partner and start sparring. Five minute sets. Finish out with one person, find someone else. Understand?"

There were noises of affirmation and the students started to pair off, pulling out their weapons of choice. As they got going, the noise of steel against steel began to ring out.

"I won't be much help here," Sayuri said, patting Miyako's shoulder and giving a self-depreciating smile. "Go ahead."

Miyako nodded and started circling among students, pausing to correct a student's technique.

"I'll stay with you," Kimimaro offered quietly, looking at her in concern. There were few things she couldn't at least make an attempt at. Observation was one of those. Sayuri smiled at him and ran a hand from his shoulder to his wrist, twining her fingers with his briefly.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I think I'll just go get a drink."

Sayuri walked along the edge of the area, heading for the small table where she, Miyako, and Kimimaro had deposited their ever-present water bottles.

Nearby, Matsuri was practicing with her junko. She'd gotten better at manipulating the rope dart and getting it to go where she wanted. It took some work to get the rope to work with her limbs and keep up its momentum, but she was getting the hang of it. That didn't mean she didn't still have clumsy moments, such as when the sun glanced off her opponent's tanto at the exact right angle, blinding her momentarily. Her rope dart swung wildly as she instinctively moved to shield her eyes.

"Sensei!" she cried worriedly, jerking on her weapon in an attempt to keep it from connecting with the oblivious Sayuri. It didn't quite work, only slightly switching the angle so that it cut across her throat instead of her chest. Sayuri shouted and clutched her throat with one hand, a bone sliding instinctively from the palm of the other.

Immediately, she was surrounded by concerned friends and students.

"Are you okay?" Mayumi asked worriedly, taking in the red blood glistening on Sayuri's fingers.

"I'm fine," Sayuri gasped, struggling a bit for air.

"That should have crushed your throat," Kankuro said, impressed. "What did you do?"

Miyako scurried over and pulled Sayuri's hand away. The tip of the dart had caught her a glancing blow, enough to break the skin, but it wasn't sharp enough to cut deeply. The glint of bone showed how she'd been saved a damaged artery though, the bone membrane under her skin gleaming.

"That trick of yours has saved your life on more than one occasion," Miyako observed, placing a hand glowing with green healing chakra over the cut, using it to close the skin after her kekkei genkai pulled the blood back in.

"Sensei?"

They all turned to look at Matsuri, whose face was pale and scared. "I'm really sorry," she apologized. "I lost control of it for a second, I didn't mean to… I'm really sorry."

Kimimaro's eyes narrowed slightly. "You could have killed her." Matsuri flinched as if he'd hit her and Gaara gave him a dark look.

"I didn't mean to… I'm really sorry..."

"It's fine, Matsuri," Sayuri assured her. She rubbed her throat slightly. "No harm done. This is why we practice."

"Yeah but… that looked like it really hurt… I didn't mean too…"

"I'm fine," Sayuri assured her. "It's just part of being blind. I'd have seen it coming otherwise, but weapons like yours, that come in an arc instead of a line or angle… I have trouble with them. It just means you're more likely than a lot of people here to be able to beat me in a fight one day," she smiled at the younger girl. "Really, I'm fine. Don't worry."

"You're not expected to be perfect right off the bat," Kankuro added to Matsuri. "Just be careful. Like you pointed out the first day, these are real weapons, and they're dangerous."

"Alright everybody, show's over!" Temari called to the staring students, some of whom were whispering worriedly about Sayuri. "Back to work!"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kimimaro asked, chucking her gently under the chin and examining her throat. There wasn't even a bruise.

"Fine," Sayuri assured him, doing the same to him and chuckling slightly. "Not a problem."

"Alright," Kimimaro allowed, but he still sent Matsuri another glare.

"I can feel you glaring," Sayuri said. "Stop it." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly upward. Sayuri raise a hand, feeling his expression and smiling in pleasure. "There, that's better. You're much nicer looking when you smile. Now go, watch the students," she urged, leaning back against the wall and sending him off.

The drama of the day over with, Kankuro gathered the students back together. They were all watching eagerly, waiting to see if they'd done well enough for their reward.

"Alright Temari, take it away," Kankuro said, gesturing to his sister, and the students leaned forwards excitedly. Temari bit into her thumb and spread her fan.

"This is Kamatari," she said, making the appropriate hand signs and pressing her thumb to the fan. A one-eyed weasel appeared in a puff of smoke, holding a scythe that was longer than it was.

"Will we ever have Summons?" one of the students asked, raising a hand.

"Maybe," Miyako nodded. "To be honest, we sort of stole ours."

"Did you?" Temari asked in surprise.

"Chunin exams," Sayuri nodded. "We fought a girl named Aya who used Summons to keep her enemies back. We knocked her out and took her scrolls. She had a half dozen on her."

"Interesting technique," Temari mused as Kamatari scrambled up to her shoulder. She scratched under his chin and nodded to Miyako.

Miyako bit her thumb and ran through the hand signs twice, pressing her thumb to the ground after each round. When the smoke cleared, a crane larger than she was stood to her right and a cougar whose head was level with her shoulder was at her left. "This is Kurendo and Kugama," Miyako said, nodding to each of her summons. The cougar nodded its head, conical hat nodding forwards.

"Greetings, I am Kugama," the cougar greeted.

"It talks!" one of the students exclaimed. Kurendo scoffed and ruffled his wings.

"Of course we talk!" he huffed. "What do you think we are, mindless beasts serving you shinobi? You see Kugama, no respect?"

"Oh, lighten up, they're young," Kugama rebuked.

"This is why I don't work with Academy students," Kurendo sneered and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"As you can see, they have varied personalities and some are a bit… touchy," Miyako said weakly, waving the smoke away from her face.

"His bark is worse than his bite," Kugama assured the kids, winking one large eye lazily and making a few people chuckle.

"Sayuri?" Miyako turned to her friend, who had already punctured her thumb and was half-way through hand signs. A few moments later a tiger slightly larger than Kugama appeared at Sayuri's side.

"This is Torani," Sayuri said, laying a hand on the tiger's head fondly, before scratching under her chin. The tiger blinked lazily at the children, nodded to Kugama, licked her lips at Kamatari, who hissed and puffed up in response, before finally turning to her Summoner.

"No Dokumo?" she asked. Sayuri winced.

"There are children…"

"I'll control him," Torani promised.

"Fine…"

Sayuri ran through the signs again and pressed her finger down once more. There was a puff of smoke.

"Hey baby, it's been a while!"

A scaly tail whipped out of the smoke and smacked Sayuri's rear. She yelped and tucked closer to Torani, glaring at the giant komodo dragon.

"Dokumo, we talked about your behavior last time," she said shortly. "Namely, no more greeting me like that."

"Hey, can't a guy greet his gal with a little bit of affection?" Dokumo grinned, which was slightly more menacing than was intended seeing as his teeth were stained a bloody red color.

"I'm not… Why did I ever pick you as a personal summon?"

"Animal magnetism. It's the pheromones, babe, can't fight the pheromones."

Sayuri sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily. Her audience, meanwhile, was highly amused. "Some Summons are more tolerable than others," Sayuri said, giving Dokumo a pointed look. He had the decency to look abashed. "They all have their own attributes, just like people. Some have personalities you clash with. That's the trick to finding your personal summons."

"And you really get along with him?" asked Mayumi unsurely, giving the komodo dragon a wide berth. Dokumo winked at her and did something lewd with his tongue. She winced and Dokumo got a smack over the head from Torani.

"Manners," the tigress rebuked.

"It's surprising, but true," Sayuri admitted, giving Dokumo a dirty look. "Truthfully, sometimes the people you are a perfect match for are the ones you least expect."


	31. Chapter 31

"Hey Temari," Kankuro said slowly, poking his head into his sister's room.

Temari remained focused on oiling the hinges on her fan as she asked, "Yeah?"

Kankuro glanced down the hallway. "So… there's a big cougar downstairs asking for you."

She looked up. "Run that by me again?"

"There's a giant cougar downstairs asking for you," Kankuro repeated. "It's a Summon. It's one of Miyako's."

"Okay," Temari said, setting her fan and equipment aside and standing. She brushed past her brother and walked downstairs. Sure enough, just inside the door stood a large cougar wearing a traditional conical hat. There was white around its muzzle and its whiskers were gray, but its eyes were bright.

"Temari?" the cougar asked. Temari nodded weakly. "Good." She lowered her front half to the ground in an approximation of a bow. "Lady Miyako sent me to ask if she and Sayuri could come to you for help with something?"

"What's going on?" Kankuro asked, expecting something serious.

The cougar laughed slightly. "It's Lady Miyako's friend, Sayuri. She's been asked out for the evening and is completely confused. Lady Miyako is also out of her depth in their department. They were hoping you could help."

"Sayuri's got a date?" Temari repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, that would throw her off alright," Kankuro chuckled.

"Who's the guy?" Temari asked.

"I believe the young man's name is Haru Natsuhana."

"Asuharu's brother?" Kankuro asked in surprise. "Wouldn't have put them together."

"When's the date?"

"Tonight."

"Tell them to come immediately," Temari nodded.

"I thought you were oiling your fan," Kankuro asked in shock. Nothing kept Temari from pampering her beloved weapon.

"This is an emergency," Temari said seriously.

"I'll send them along," the cougar said. It made another bow and then took its leave, leaping through the door in a dead run. Sure enough, not twenty minutes later, Miyako appeared with a mildly jittery Sayuri on her arm and a scowling Kimimaro in tow.

"Why's he here?" Temari asked Miyako quietly as they all entered the Sand Siblings house.

"He hasn't stopped hovering since Haru spoke to her," Miyako replied, smiling. "He's being protective. It's adorable."

"I can hear you," Kimimaro pointed out.

"They don't care," Kankuro assured him.

The voices drew Gaara into the front room, where he was surprised to find the Konoha shinobi.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Never you mind!" Temari said as she grabbed Sayuri and started dragging her up the stairs, Miyako following.

"I don't know how this dating thing works," Sayuri admitted as Temari tugged her into her room and tossed her onto the bed, looking her over.

"I know, and I'm glossing over how sad that is for the moment, but I will tease you about it later," Temari assured her. "So, Kimimaro's been protective, has he? Kankuro's the same way." She rolled her eyes and headed to her closet, rummaging through it.

"No more than usual," Sayuri disagreed.

"Sayuri, he's hardly left your side," Miyako pointed out

"He cares about what's important to him," Temari grinned, holding up a red top. "I like that in a man." She paired it with black leggings and tossed it to Sayuri. "Here, strip and put that on."

"You like Kimimaro," Sayuri said slowly, catching the clothes.

"He's cute and strong," Temari shrugged. "What's not to like?"

"If you hurt him I will kill you," Sayuri said seriously as she began to dress.

"I'll help," Miyako added sternly.

"Naturally," Temari agreed, pointing towards a small vanity. "That's just how family works. Sit."

Temari wasn't the girliest of girls, but she had a small supply of makeup. She quickly made use of dark colors to bring out Sayuri's bright eyes and markings. She looked between a pair of dark heels and Sayuri's bare feet.

"How are you with heels?" she asked unsurely.

"You know, I've never seen you wear them," Miyako mused, looking between the shoes and Sayuri.

"Let's see," Sayuri said unsurely, gesturing for them. Temari handed them over and they all watched warily as Sayuri slid them on. She stood up and took a few steps. She was shaky, but fairly stable.

"Want to try the stairs?" Miyako suggested.

"Not a bad plan," Temari agreed and they trooped into the hallway.

* * *

"Ah, Sayuri!"

"What the hell?" Kenkuro exclaimed as Sayuri came crashing down the stairs. She groaned and sat up, sensing a presence beside her.

"I'm fine, Kimimaro," she assured him, reaching out and trailing her fingers through his hair. He offered her a hand up and Sayuri took it gratefully, hauling herself to her feet and glancing down at her shoes. Kimimaro looked between her footwear and Temari and Miyako sternly.

"Who thought this was a good idea?" he challenged. Both girls pointed to the other, and then at Sayuri, who was stepping out of the shoes.

"As it turns out, blind girls shouldn't wear high heels," she said cheerfully, trying to diffuse Kimimaro's protective instincts. She handed the footwear back to Temari.

"Probably wasn't a good idea," Temari agreed. "Just wear normal shoes then, I think."

"Agreed," Miyako nodded.

"So?" Temari said, turning Sayuri to face the living room, where Gaara, Kimimaro, and Kankuro had been waiting. "You're guys. How does she look?"

"I didn't mean for this to become an event," Sayuri murmured, blushing.

Kimimaro looked her up and down. The red color of her long, traditional shirt flattered her marks and it clung tightly to her waist, tied in place with a thin black obi. The leggings kept it from being immodest.

"You did well," he complimented Temari, who rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the one being complimented here," she pointed out as Miyako face-palmed.

"I know what you meant," Sayuri assured him, patting his shoulder.

"He won't know what hit him," Kankuro approved. "Just, eh… watch out for his sister, Asuharu."

"Why?" Sayuri asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Well, she's kind of… ah, never mind," Kankuro said sheepishly.

"Thank you for your help," Sayuri said to Temari.

"I was pretty useless," Miyako admitted. "We'll get out of your hair now, Temari."

"Not a problem," Temari shrugged. "You should come by more often. Say, maybe we could spar sometime?" she suggested.

"That might be fun," Sayuri agreed. "I've been working with Kimimaro, and I've gotten much better since the chunin exams."

"I expect we all have," Miyako agreed.

"After classes tomorrow?" Kankuro suggested.

"Kimimaro?"

"That's agreeable," he nodded, stepping closer to Sayuri and sending Gaara a dark look. "We should go," he added.

"It was great talking outside of classes," Miyako said as they took their leave. Gaara drifted off, back upstairs towards his room.

"What was that death glare about?" Kankuro asked in surprise.

"Did you see Gaara?" Temari whispered to her brother, who looked at her blankly.

"No, why? Did he do something?"

"Nothing but watch Sayuri from the moment she came downstairs," Temari said slyly. Kankuro blinked at her.

"Wha- Seriously? Gaara? As in, our little brother?"

"No, the Gaara that lives down the street," Temari retorted, rolling her eyes.

"No way," Kankuro disagreed. "I don't think he even knows girls exist."

"I think he does and he's just subtle about it. Care to make a bet, brother dear?" Temari grinned.

Kankuro smiled. "What were you thinking?"

"I think he likes Sayuri. You don't. Give it until the end of their stay. If there's no hints he likes her, you win. If there is, I win."

"Win what?" Kankuro asked. "It's got to be something good."

Temari mused. "Loser is the winners slave for a week?"

Kankuro's smile crinkled his paint. "You're on."

* * *

Haru was waiting for Sayuri when she walked up to entrance of the restaurant. It had taken her a bit to retrace her steps through Suna and find the right place. She wasn't as familiar with the streets as she was with Konoha, so she had to go slowly.

"You're here!" Haru greeted her, sounding relieved. Sayuri raised an eyebrow.

"You thought I would stand you up?"

Haru shrugged awkwardly. "Eh, you wouldn't be the first."

The eyebrow went higher. "Why is that?"

"Let's get inside and get some food before we start the inquisition," Haru suggested. Sayuri flushed slightly.

"Of course. My apologies."

"No problem," he assured her. They entered and were immediately seated, provided with menus. Sayuri immediately asked for a glass of ice water, which she sipped happily. Haru watched this in amusement.

"Still not used to the climate?" he noticed. Sayuri shook her head.

"It's so hot. Then again, it's a desert. I suppose that's expected." She blushed, feeling a bit stupid for saying something so obvious. It was uncomfortable sitting her across from someone she'd never really met, never really spoken to. Still, she forced herself not to simply give up and walk out. She respected Haru for approaching her. She was barely comfortable talking to someone she knew so little of, it was totally out of the question to ask someone out that she didn't know. Besides, she supposed this awkwardness was the normal part of a starting relationship.

"I bet it's nice and cool in Konoha," Haru replied, unfazed by her momentary slip. "All those shade trees."

Sayuri nodded, pleased he wasn't going to make her feel like a fool. "So," she began warily. "Why did you expect me to stand you up?"

"My sister," Haru said ruefully. "She's… pretty well known around Suna, and not very well thought of."

"Why would that be?" Sayuri asked, surprised. Haru seemed perfectly polite, why should his sister be so terrible?

"She's…. Well, she's a pervert, to be honest," Haru admitted. "But don't tell her that or she'll get angry," he added hastily. "And you _don't _want to make her angry."

"I see," Sayuri nodded seriously. "But that has nothing to do with you?" she added unsurely. Haru laughed slightly. Sayuri decided she liked his laugh.

"No, but it does tend to come back on me a bit," he admitted. "She's older by a few years… our parents died on a mission when we were young so she pretty much raised me. I think everyone expects me to follow in her footsteps, as it were. But I'm not a pervert," he added hastily. Sayuri smiled genuinely.

"Good to know."

"So, what's it like teaching our students?"

Sayuri was surprised at how much she enjoyed herself. The awkwardness ebbed with the conversation and good food. Haru hadn't steered her wrong when she asked for a recommendation, the meal was delicious. Besides having good taste in food, he was also polite, charming, and genuine. He smiled when he was happy and laughed when he was amused. She had to admit, it was a refreshing change from Kimimaro's usual stoicism and Miyako's shyness. When he asked to see her again, she agreed happily.

"I had fun," she said as they left the restaurant.

"Can I walk you back to your apartment?" he asked. Sayuri smiled. She wasn't used to being treated like a lady. So many people saw the hitai-ate on a girl and assumed she was just one of the guys. It was nice to be treated as a woman instead of a kunoichi.

"Thank you," Sayuri agreed. He offered her his elbow. Sayuri was surprised, but she took his arm and they walked down the streets.

"Where do you live?" Haru asked casually. Sayuri bit her lip.

"Ah… perhaps I'd better lead."

"Just tell me the street-"

"I can't."

"Why-?" Haru inhaled sharply. "I'm an idiot," he groaned, smacking himself in the face. Sayuri chuckled slightly, amused.

"It's alright. I'm good enough at hiding it that I usually have to tell people. I'm surprised you knew, honestly."

"It was a pretty big thing, Konoha sending… someone like you to teach," Haru edged around her disability.

"Female?" Sayuri challenged innocently. She was going to make him say it.

"No... you know…" He shifted awkwardly.

"I won't be offended if you say it, Haru."

"Blind," he finally submitted. Sayuri smiled.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I didn't want to offend you," Haru apologized.

"Unless you're actively trying to, that's very hard."

"I'm learning," Haru smiled slightly.

"Well, learn quickly. I don't want to have to remind you every time we go out."

"Will there be more times to come?" Haru asked hopefully as Sayuri paused in front of the apartment she shared with Kimimaro. She looked him up and down speculatively, dropping his arm.

"Yes, I think there might."

Haru broke into a smile. "Good, I'm glad."

Sayuri paused awkwardly, not sure if she should simply say bye and go inside. She knew what was typically expected saying goodbye to a girl on her front porch, but she didn't want to be presumptuous. Still, she was curious…

"Well, goodnight," Sayuri said, inclining her head politely. She reached for the door handle, only for a hand to catch hers gently. He turned her slightly, so she was facing him.

"Night," he whispered, and he was right in front of her.

Kissing was odd, Sayuri decided as his lips pressed gently against hers. She'd heard all the stories about fireworks and electric tingling, but there was none of that, just a feeling of intimacy that she'd never had before, but that she was curious about. It was… nice.

"_Inside."_

Kimimaro's voice broke the brief spell she'd been under and Sayuri was quite surprised to realize that at some point her eyes had closed and Haru's hands had landed respectfully high on her waist.

"Ah," she said as she stepped back, and his hands slid away. "Goodnight, Haru."

"Goodnight, Sayuri."

Sayuri slipped past Kimimaro, who she could feel sending thoughts of death and carnage in Haru's direction. He stepped inside behind her almost instantly and the door snapped shut sharply.

"You were supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago," he said sternly.

"I can't exactly read a clock," Sayuri pointed out. "We just started talking, and…"

"That's no excuse."

"Why are you being so angry?" Sayuri exclaimed, honestly surprised. Of all the things she'd expected Kimimaro to be, the protective older brother wasn't a role she'd have cast him in. Still, it was flattering that he cared enough to be so very protective, and though she'd never tell him, based on a brief sweep of her fingers across his expression, he looked adorable standing there all defensive.

"You barely know that man," Kimimaro said bluntly. "I don't trust him."

"Why?"

"…"

"That's what I thought. Kimimaro, I can take care of myself," she assured him. "He's been nothing but respectful."

"I was simply worried," he finally submitted, losing the angry undertone.

"Don't worry about me," Sayuri said, cupping his face between her hands. "I'll be fine. A lot of people go on dates and they survive."

"You are… important to me," Kimimaro said, holding her hands to his face. He supposed he simply didn't like the idea of possibly losing her to someone else. Since he'd returned to her side she had been totally devoted to him. He didn't like the idea of someone pulling part of her affection away from him.

"And you're important to me," Sayuri assured him. "Kimimaro… you mean more to me than anyone else ever will. I offered to give up my life for you, to come with you, to serve someone I don't support. I would never make that offer to someone else. Now… have you eaten?" He shook his head. "Then I'll make you something to eat for dinner."

Sayuri patted his shoulder and moved off towards the kitchen. Kimimaro watched her as she moved, darting surely through the kitchen and preparing him a meal. She would smile softly every now and then, and he knew she was thinking about her date. He hadn't seen her this… _giggly_ in… well, _ever._

Kimimaro submitted as he sat down at the table, taking her hand and squeezing in thanks. Perhaps Sayuri was right. She'd be fine.

* * *

The teachers gathered at one of the larger training fields, ready for a good spar. Miyako had several weapons up her sleeves and Kimimaro and Sayuri were casually manipulating their bones under their skin, readying for fast reactions.

"So, do we want to all go at once, or do we want to watch?" Temari asked.

"I'd like to watch," Miyako put in. "I'm curious to see how everyone's gotten better."

"Alright then, pair off I guess."

"You want to go?" Kankuro asked Miyako, who blinked in surprise. "We both fight from a distance. Should be interesting."

"Alright," Miyako agreed.

"I want to see what you're made of," Temari said, sidling up to Kimimaro, who also looked a bit surprised.

"Very well," he nodded.

"I guess that leaves us," Sayuri said, gesturing between herself and Gaara, who nodded.

"Any limits?" Miyako asked.

"Don't kill anyone," Kankuro shrugged.

"_Gaara!"_

"Except maybe her," Temari huffed angrily. Takako was walked towards them, waving wildly with a big grin on her face.

"Hi Gaara," Takako greeted. "What are you doing out here."

"We were… sparring," Gaara said slowly. It should have been painfully obvious, seeing as they were in the sparring grounds.

"Do you mind?" Sayuri asked, stepping forwards and wrapping a hand around Gaara's elbow. "We were about to start." She tugged on Gaara, drawing him away from Takako. The girl floundered for a moment before exclaiming, "Well, I don't think you're good enough to fight Gaara!"

"I disagree," Sayuri said with a casual shrug.

"Fight me and prove it," Takako said, crossing her arms smugly, confident she could take Sayuri. She'd heard that the girl was blind. How good a kunoichi could she be?

"Takako," Kankuro said worriedly. "You don't want to-"

"I bet I can take her," Takako crowed. "I bet she'd really weak!"

Miyako face-palmed and Kimimaro closed his eyes, sighing. Sayuri was stiff. Slowly, Sayuri turned to Takako, who, sensing she'd scored some kind of hit, drew herself up proudly.

"You think I'm weak?" she repeated slowly. Takako nodded.

"I've heard about you. You're blind, and you're from some crazy clan that's all gone. How good could you be?"

"… Very well. Let's go."

"Sayuri," Miyako began warningly.

"I won't hurt her badly," Sayuri insisted. Takako spluttered.

"As if you could! I'm one of the best kunoichi in the village."

"Then I weep for Suna." Sayuri's response was fast and sharp, and Takako was spluttering again as she followed Sayuri out to the middle of the training ground.

"You know, Takako's really not a joke," Temari warned. Miyako nodded.

"I know, I've heard about her around town," Miyako nodded.

"Sayuri can beat her," Kimimaro said confidently.

"I hope so, otherwise this is gonna be awkward," Kankuro said.

"Why is she doing this?" Gaara asked, rather lost.

"She's helping you fend off Takako," Temari said as if she were talking to a very slow child.

"I know that, but why?"

"Because she's your friend," Miyako said obviously. "Remember?"

"Once Sayuri decides she cares about someone, her loyalty is absolute," Kimimaro said seriously, and he was the one who would know.

"Are you going to attack?" Sayuri asked calmly, staring Takako down. She shrugged off her shirt and Takako snorted.

"What, trying to seduce me or something?"

"Just making way," Sayuri said cryptically. Takako's eyes narrowed.

"For what?"

Sayuri smiled. So the rumors didn't include her kekkei genkai.

"This. _Digital shrapnel!" _

Takako dodged to the side, blinking as the bones slammed into the ground behind her. "What did you just throw?"

"I didn't throw anything," Sayuri replied honestly. Takako scoffed.

"Oh, quit trying to be dramatic!" she huffed and lunged forwards, drawing a pair of katana from the long sleeves of her shirt. Sayuri rolled her shoulders calmly. Takako's eyes narrowed as she reached up, arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes flew open and she jumped back as a bone rose out of Sayuri's shoulders. She gripped them and pulled them free, tossing both into the air with a twirl before catching them, the blades resting along her arms.

"Well?"

Takako charged and the two women exchanged a flurry of blows. For the beginning, Sayuri was on defense, purely blocking Takako's vicious blows and letting her wear herself out. Sayuri smiled slightly as the blows gained force and speed as Takako tried to break through her defenses.

"You're better than I thought," Takako admitted, leaping back, panting slightly. Sayuri was barely winded. Like Kimimaro, not a single one of her movements was wasted. She conserved energy as much as possible to avoid ending up in the same state Takako was now: tired and angry.

"Thank you," Sayuri accepted, dipping her head politely. "Are you finished yet?"

Takako shook her head, glaring. This was no longer her annoyance at Sayuri getting between her and Gaara. This was just a dislike for Sayuri in general, for her uncaring attitude.

"Alright then. Kimimaro recently taught me a new technique I'd like to try," Sayuri said. Her head tilted to the side at a sickening angle and something white appeared, poking from behind her shoulders. She flicked her wrists, sending the bone swords thunking into the ground beside her feet. Reaching back, Sayuri grabbed the white thing and tugged.

Her spine came free, a replacement growing in its place. From the sidelines, Temari's eyes widened and Kankuro winced.

"Dance of the Clemantis: Vine."

Sayuri lashed out with the spine as if it were a whip. Takako leapt to the side to try and avoid it, throwing up her sword. The whip followed her. She tried to angle her sword to cut through the bone, but it was too strong. It pressed the sword to her body. Sayuri spun in a circle, sending Takako flying into the dirt. She released the spine and let it fall to the ground carelessly, sweeping up her swords and lunging. As Takako flew through the air, Sayuri went with her. Takako's back connected with the ground and moments later Sayuri landed, crouched over her, swords crossed over her neck.

"Dead," Sayuri said mildly. Miyako burst into applause and Sayuri stood, turning away from Takako, smiling at Miyako. "Thank you Miyako, that was-"

With an angry snarl, Takako lunged for Sayuri. The girl dropped onto her hands, feet flying back. Sayuri kicked Takako's ankles, sending the other girl flying over her head. Sayuri stood again and stepped over Takako, swords raised. She threw them down, the points piercing Takako's sleeves and pinning her arms to the ground.

"I won. You lost," Sayuri said, voice eerily calm. "Now get out. You weren't invited."

Takako scrambled to her feet, glaring at Sayuri. "I'm going to remember this."

"If you didn't, that would defeat the purpose."

Takako scoffed and turned on her heel, stomping away. Sayuri smirked slightly, stretching languidly.

"That was fun."


	32. Bits

**So I found this today. It's bits and pieces I wrote for later in the story, parts I never got to, Some of them are just vague ideas and kind of disjointed, but I've had several questions about what Kiyomi got up to and other things. Anyway, for those who are curious, here's the random bits I wrote but never used, for anyone who's interested. **

* * *

"Cool it Uchiha, I'm not here on behalf of the village," Kiyomi said coolly.

"And how do I know that?" Sasuke challenged.

"You've got those pretty pinwheel eyes. Use 'em," she smirked.

"You've marked out the symbol," Sasuke noted, eyes on the forehead protector she had tied around her upper arm. There was a deep gouge across the leaf, marking her as a missing-nin.

"Huh, no kidding?" Kiyome grinned.

"So, why are you here?"

"I heard you were forming a basketball team and wondered if you needed an extra player," she replied sweetly.

Sasuke scoffed. "You want to _join_ me?"

"People say you're the best," she shrugged. "I just want to watch and learn. I don't particularly care what I have to do. I just want to get stronger, and you people tend to come up against some pretty heavy hitters."

"And why do you want to get stronger so badly that you're willing to betray the village and join a group of criminals?" Sasuke pressed. "Here I thought you were one of the good guys."

Kiyomi's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, sucking in her cheeks in irritation. "Because you would not believe how damn _tired_ I am of hearing how _amazing_ Sayuri Kaguya is," she said bluntly. "'Oh, what a success story, she's had such a tough time and she's overcome it!'" Kiyomi scoffed. "She's had people holding her hand every step of the way and I got left in the dust. I want to walk into the village one day and knock that Kaguya bitch on her ass," she spat.

"Those are pretty strong words. I didn't know you had so much hate in you, Arita," Sasuke smirked.

"And you wonder why I never got along well with the Emotionless Wonder," she snorted.

"You know, you're not really on our level," Sasuke said, brushing her aside.

"I'll fight anyone you want to prove I'm no slouch, from ginger over there to shark face," Kiyomi snapped. Her expression suddenly turned sly and she reached into her hip pouch. Instantly, the three being Sasuke tensed. Kiyomi snorted. "Breathe, kids, I'm not about to make a move against the Uchiha. I just thought it might interest him to know that _I_ know some who can help him find his brother Itachi."

Sasuke turned the full intense force of his sharinan-red eyes on her. Kiyomi didn't so much as blink.

"Who?" he demanded.

"My sister."

Sasuke scoffed. "And what would your runaway sister know about my brother?"

Kiyomi shrugged. "Beats the hell out of me. But," she pulled a piece of paper from her pouch and held it up, grinning slightly at the illustrations on it, "I think it says a lot that she was doodling your brother's eyes and ANBU mask, don't you?"

Sasuke's eyes drifted to the paper and back to Kiyomi, who smirked.

"Welcome to the team," he said. Her smirk widened.

"Pleasure."

**As you can see, I planned for Kiyomi to eventually join up with Sasuke, and here's where she first encounters Sasuke and his team.**

* * *

"I'll even give you an opening," Sayuri invited, spreading her arms wide and exposing her torso.

"Right," Kiyomi scoffed. "I know how fast those bones of yours respond, remember? You've got a membrane, don't you?" she accused, eyes narrowed.

Sayuri brought down her kunai carelessly, opening a cut on her arm. Blood and pink flesh, but no glint of bone under the desert sun.

"Fine," Kiyomi allowed, "but you'll make one the second I move!"

"No, I won't," Sayuri disagreed, shaking her head.

"Why would you even try something like this?" Kiyomi demanded, grip shifting on her kunai. The opening was there and everything in her was screaming to take it, to drive the knife home and _end it,_ but caution made her restrain herself.

"I don't think you'll do it, Kiyomi," Sayuri said, shaking her head. "I don't think you have it in you to hurt me, no matter what you sa-"

Sayuri gasped and arched as the kunai slid under her ribs. Her knees weakened and Kiyomi guided her to the ground, their eyes locked together.

Sayuri had never felt so betrayed. She knew Kiyomi was touchy. They'd never been the _best_ of friends, certainly not as close as she and Miyako were, but they'd been teammates, comrades, companions. She hadn't realized that Kiyomi truly _hated_ her. The thought was like a punch in the gut. She'd believed they got along fairly well. She knew Kiyomi was jealous of her power and reputation, but she hadn't realized how deep it went.

"Guess you thought wrong," Kiyomi whispered, pulling the kunai out. "Tell Miyako I said hi."

When they found her later on, she was just lying in the sand bleeding, saying over and over, "I didn't think she'd do it."

**I had the idea of Kiyomi coming after Sayuri once she was trained with a sword and tracking her to Suna with Sasuke's team. This would be their fight.**

* * *

Miyako winced as Sayuri dug her fingers into the sheets. She'd never seen Sayuri so enraged. She knew it was covering a deep sadness, but Sayuri actually looked ready to kill.

"Fine then," Sayuri finally said. "This is clearly how she wants it. She's no longer a teammate. She's no longer a friend. She's no longer anything to me but a disposable missing-nin _criminal._ If I see her again, I'll kill her and keep her name from cluttering up the bingo books."

**And this would be part of the aftermath of that fight.**

* * *

"I'll be sending a squad out into the desert to track them," Gaara explained. "They can't have gotten far after that fight. They're all injured, I believe."

"I'm going," Sayuri said, flinging off the thin sheets and swinging her legs out of bed.

"No," Gaara ordered firmly. "You will rest. This was an attack on Suna, Suna shinobi will handle it."

"Don't make the mistake of thinking this is just about Suna," Sayuri said, narrowing her eyes sharply. "This is my fight as well, and you will not keep me from it."

She made to stand and Miyako rushed forwards, pushing her back, injecting a little bit of chakra into her bloodstream.

"Rest," she begged as she forced Sayuri's legs back in the bed despite her struggles.

"Miyako…" Sayuri growled warningly and Miyako's pale, stressed face made it clear she was about as happy manipulating Sayuri as Sayuri was being manipulated.

"Just wait until you're a little better before you do something rash," Miyako pleaded, yanking the sheet across Sayuri's chest and using it to hold her down. Sayuri cried out in pain as the sheet pressed on her wound. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Miyako babbled immediately, tears in her eyes. She felt horrible for hurting Sayuri, but she knew it was better than letting her go out and get in another fight with Kiyomi in this condition.

"Maybe you're right," Sayuri said, voice tight with pain. "I'll give it a day," she allowed. "One day, and I'm gone." She gave Gaara a look daring him to argue.

"Lord Kazekage, may I speak to you for a moment please?" Miyako asked softly, sliding off the bed. He nodded sharply, still glaring at Sayuri, who was lying in her bed staring blankly at the ceiling. Miyako grabbed his sleeve and gently tugged him towards the door. They stepped into the hall outside of Sayuri's hospital room, the door shutting behind them.

"This way," Miyako said, pulling him a way down the hall. "She'll hear us through the door. She's sneaky like that," she added with a small smile. She turned to face Gaara, very hesitant to speak to him. He was on a level so far above her and knowing he could crush her if she said something wrong made her nerves skyrocket. But she also knew that Sayuri had a soft spot for him despite the vicious beginning to their relationship, so he couldn't be all bad.

"You have to understand Sayuri and Kiyomi's side of things," she began. "I'm not defending the way Sayuri spoke to you, because that wasn't okay," she added hastily as his face clouded, "but in her mind you're getting involved in a fight that's her business. Sayuri is a bit territorial."

"So I am to allow a visiting diplomat to wander off into the desert after only a day's recuperation from a major stab wound? That would be inviting political tension."

"No no no!" Miyako jumped in. "I know you have to worry about the politics but… I can keep Sayuri on lockdown… for a while," she said semi-confidently. "But you can't tell her how to handle the situation. I mean you can, but it's just going to make her angry and angry Sayuri is very scary and things could get violent and-"

"Breathe."

"-would be awkward if one of you hurt… What?" She looked up at him in surprise. Gaara shrugged.

"It's what Sayuri says when you ramble," he explained.

"R-right," Miyako stammered, still surprised Gaara had noticed anything about her. He really _had _changed. "What I'm saying is this is personal for them. It's a matter of what they want that someone else has."

"Like Sasuke and Naruto?" Gaara tried to compare.

"Sort of," Miyako said, taking that idea and going with it. "Naruto is so good at making friends and Sasuke envies that, but at the same time he threw away his friends, the thing Naruto values most. Kiyomi wants to be the strongest of us, to best Sayuri, but Sayuri sees her as unwilling to put in the work to get stronger and therefore undeserving. Kiyomi thinks Sayuri doesn't appreciate all the advantages Sayuri had in her training, but she does, and she went beyond those advantages. It's envious on Kiyomi's part and almost… _patronizing _on Sayuri's. She told Kiyomi time and time again to put the work in to get stronger, to go the extra mile. And I think… I think in a way Sayuri believes that by saying that she encouraged Kiyomi to run off and betray us and the village."

Miyako was working through this as she spoke. After a point she even forgot Gaara was there to talk to. But the moment she remembered she fell silent and blushed under his intense teal stare.

"Sorry, you probably don't care about our personal problems," she said shyly, wringing her hands. "I just thought you should know why Sayuri snapped at you as all."

Gaara looked her over calculatingly as she all but trembled in front of him.

"You notice more than people give you credit for," Gaara noted. Miyako flushed.

"Well I suppose… in a way… maybe…"

**This would also be the aftermath of that fight. I had most of this scene planned but no real idea of a way to join them together. **

* * *

"He's a Hyuga jonin! I'm a nobody chunin!" Miyako said weakly. "He can't!"

"He can!" Sayuri insisted, holding her shoulders tightly. "You know when we first became a team, and we went to that restaurant for the first time, and you said you wanted someone to look at you like Satoru looks at Ayano."

"Yes…" Miyako said slowly, unsure where she was going with this.

"He looks at you that way. There's at least a little bit of puppy love there," Sayuri said surely.

"No offense Sayuri, but how would you know?" Miyako asked pointedly.

"I can't see it, but I can feel it when I stand near him. If you're around him, it's obvious to anyone around. He likes you Miyako," Sayuri insisted, cupping her friend's cheeks. "I refuse to let you tear yourself apart about this. If he does or doesn't, so what? If he does, good, I wish you two happiness. If he doesn't, fine, his loss, and he's an idiot."

**As I said, I was going to put Miyako and Neji together. You'll notice that Miyako is talking about not having a noble family. This was before I decided her family would be as important as it was. **

* * *

At first glance Sayuri just looked adorable, sleeping like that. Her arms were crossed in front of her stomach, hands holding her waist. Her legs were folded up, acutely bent at the knee and hip. Her chin was tucked against her chest, lips lightly parted and eyelids fluttering. Her hair was tucked to the side of her face and under her chin. She looked like a child curled up there in the sheets.

But the closer he looked, the more the dark truth came to dawn on him. She wasn't just holding herself to keep warm, she was blocking all vital organs in her torso with her arm. She always slept with her back facing the wall. Her head was tucked to protect her face. Her hair was pulled between her head and the pillow to keep it from being gripped. She was curled up, presenting as small a target as possible.

In this position, she was about as protected as it was possible to be while sleeping, something she'd developed over years of abuse and never quite gotten out of. It was imprinted in her mind as 'safe.'

**I had an idea of this being a fluffy moment between Sayuri and Gaara, but no idea where I would have put it in. **

* * *

Akane leaned forwards and placed a hand on Sai's chest, forcing him back to the bed. She went with him, mouth at his ear.

"Stay in this bed," she whispered through clenched teeth. "Or I will pin you down and drug you until you can't even _think _about leaving the hospital early."

**I had the idea of some kind of side thing with Akane basically torturing Sai that would probably never make it into the story. Why? Because I like torturing Sai**

* * *

She was nearly nude, clothes torn and hanging from her frame thanks to dozens of grasping hands. Gaara felt ill looking at her. A minute or two later, and they would have found a very difference scene.

He averted his eyes respectfully as she clutched the tatters of her clothes around her, tears silently rolling down her cheeks. Kimimaro stepped forwards, and Gaara could see the tightness in his jaw, the blazing fury in his eyes. There was no need to ask if there were any survivors.

The Kaguya yanked off his shirt and draped it over her shoulders. She turned into his chest, sobbing slightly. "Kimimaro…" she whimpered. "What… What does the sky look like?"

Kimimaro's eyes blazed. "The sun's rising red this morning."

"Good."

**For anyone who questioned the sudden arrival of Haru when I clearly said I was going to pair Sayuri and Gaara… yeah, this is where that was going. I had the idea of him being a traitor and kidnapping her, leading to recovery and hospital those who don't know, the bit at the end about the sky being red refers to an old wives' tale that says 'if the sun rises red it means blood has been spilled.'  
**


	33. Author's Note

**_So as you may have noticed, the chapter and word count just jumped dramatically. Why? Because I posted all the chapters I've been fiddling with for months. Yeah… I'm discontinuing this story. It'll be left up, because people seem to like it so much. I want those who may not have looked at it in a while to see all that I'm posting today. But I just thought you guys had the right to know what I had been playing with and trying to work, even if I'm not entirely content with this._**

**_I'm just not happy with the direction Sayuri has taken. When I first started this, I was really happy with her character and her team and all I wanted to do with them. Really, I think the core of it is lack of planning. I just took some characters and dumped them into a setting and started writing with no idea of where I was going. I wish I'd structured the story differently, I wish I'd spent more time developing Miyako, Kiyomi, Satoru, and Ayano. I wish I'd done a lot different._**

**_Maybe one day I'll come back and rework this story, maybe not. From the beginning though, this was just something for me to play with, not a really serious project. It was something to write when I had spare time and inclination, and maybe one day I'd get all the way through the series, maybe I'd stop half-way through, who knew? But over time I got less and less inclined until it almost seemed like a chore to sit down and try and make something happen in the story. And it shouldn't be that way. So I decided this is it. For now, at least._**

**_That's not to say I'm done writing in Naruto. I love the fandom so much, it's such a wonderfully intricate story. When my interest in Sayuri started waning, I started to get new idea for new stories. In fact, I intend to post the first chapter of a story after I've finished uploading these. It will be a sort of do-over. Again with that story, I'll be writing on it when I have time and inclination, and we'll see how it goes. But this time I plan to take my time with characters, to plan more, to develop their lives better. Some elements from Sayuri may find there way into that story, I don't know._**

**_If you have any questions about where I planned to go with this story, any aspects you're curious about, I have no problem answering them. Just let me know in a review or PM me, and I'll try and asnwer if I can._**

**_Again, I hope you're not too upset, and I hope you'll at least give the first chapter of my new story a look, even if it doesn't seem like your cup of tea. Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story – 160 of you guys, oh my gosh! – and extra thanks to those who reviewed every chapter. You guys are the reason I got this far._**

**_Special hugs and cuddles to December 25th, Himeno kazehito, and Sleep Arypsure for designing some characters for me… I encourage you to take those characters and give them more justice than I did, because they're great ideas!_**


End file.
